Apple staring at US iPhone & iPad sales ban
Apple could be barred from making further sales from its flagship iPhone and iPad production lines after the tech giant lost the latest round in a bitter patent dispute with South Korean rivals Samsung.
The International Trade Commission has ruled that some of these devices infringe a Samsung patent relating to 3G services and recommends that further imports of such components from China ought to be banned.
This ban would affect shipments of the iPhone 4 and iPad 2, older models which continue to contribute a significant chunk of the firm’s sales.
Ordinarily such patents are licensed under ‘fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory’ terms but Samsung has opted to vigorously pursue the matter through the courts in this instance.
Apple has said it will appeal the ruling and the US government has also weighed in, suggesting that the ITC does not have the power to impose such a ban.
In a statement Apple said: “Samsung is using a strategy which has been rejected by courts and regulators around the world,” Apple said. “They’ve admitted that it’s against the interests of consumers in Europe and elsewhere, yet here in the United States Samsung continues to try to block the sale of Apple products by using patents they agreed to license to anyone for a reasonable fee.”