The U.S. International Trade Commission ruled that Apple has infringed on one of Samsung's smartphone and tablet-related patents. The agency, which handles trade into and out of the U.S., thus issued ordered a limited exclusion and cease & desist order for the AT&T versions of the iPhone 4, iPhone 3, iPhone 3GS, iPad 3G and iPad 2 3G. The ruling from Samsung's complaint originally filed in June 2011 may be a little too late as Apple and/or carriers are now mostly selling newer models, namely, the iPhone 4S, the iPhone 5, and the 4th generation iPad, which are not affected under the ban.
What Else You Need To Know
- Apple said it's disappointed with the decision but noted that the decision has no impact on the availability of Apple products in the United States.
- The patent in question is Patent No, 7,706,384, which refers to, "Apparatus and method for encoding/decoding transport format combination indicator in CDMA mobile communication system."
- Apple has previously claimed that Samsung agreed to license this particular patent under FRAND (fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory) terms but those claims were rejected.
- Although the iPhone 4 is almost three years old, it's still being offered by AT&T for free on a two-year contract.
Other sources
Even if it does result in an effective ban, these devices are likely nearing the end of their sales cycle, with updates looming in the fall.- Darrell Etherington, TechCrunch
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