A trade court judge will recommend banning some iPhones from being imported into the U.S. after concluding Apple's best-selling device infringed on technology owned by mobile chip maker Qualcomm.

The U.S. Trade International Trade Commission decision is the latest twist in a bitter legal dispute between Qualcomm and Apple over the rights to some of the technology that enables the iPhone to connect to the internet.

It's unclear if the recommended ban will be imposed or even which iPhone models would be affected. McNamara's recommendation still must be weighed by the full trade commission.

Qualcomm applauded the decision. Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.