ITC bans Samsung phones for infringing Apple patents

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ITC bans Samsung phones for infringing Apple patents

A US trade panel has banned the import of certain Samsung phones for infringing patents owned by rival tech giant Apple

Today’s decision by the International Trade Commission (ITC) banned the import of some older Samsung devices including the Galaxy S 4G, Fascinate, Captivate, Galaxy Tab, and Galaxy Tab 10.1.

The ITC upheld Apple’s claims on two patents relating to headphone jacks and scrolling behaviour, but overturned an earlier ruling that Samsung infringed four other patents belonging to Apple. Many of Samsung’s newer phones work around the patents at issue.

The ITC is expected to release more details about its decision later today.

Earlier this week, the Obama administration vetoed a previous ITC decision which banned certain Apple products that infringed a Samsung patent. This latest ban may also theoretically be vetoed during the next 60 days by the Obama administration, although those products involved standards essential patents. Prior to this week’s intervention, the last presidential veto of a product ban was in 1987.

The ban is the latest development in the long-running Smartphone wars between the two companies.





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