Link to Article

Archived Version

Source: Phys.org - latest science and technology news stories

Sat, 10 Aug 2013 12:55

Some Samsung imports banned in US patent caseJavascript is currently disabled in your web browser. For full site functionality, it is necessary to enable Javascript. In order to enable it, please see these instructions.2 hours agoThe US International Trade Commission has blocked imports of some Samsung electronic devices, backing complaints by Apple that the South Korean company violated its patents. The ruling was the latest in a long-running global legal battle over alleged patent infringement between the two smartphone and tablet giants.

The US International Trade Commission blocked imports of some older model Samsung mobile devices following complaints by Apple that the South Korean company had violated its patents.

The ruling by the Washington-based trade body was the latest in a long-running and bitter global battle over alleged patent infringement between the two smartphone and tablet computer giants.

The ITC ruled that Samsung had infringed two Apple patents'--numbers 949 and 501, dealing with touchscreen actions and headphone jack plug-ins'--but cleared the South Korean company of charges that it had violated four more.

Apple welcomed the ITC ruling while Samsung expressed its disappointment.

"With today's decision, the ITC has joined courts around the world in Japan, Korea, Germany, Netherlands and California by standing up for innovation and rejecting Samsung's blatant copying of Apple's products," Apple said in a statement.

"Protecting real innovation is what the patent system should be about," it said.

Spokesman Adam Yates said Samsung is "disappointed that the ITC has issued an exclusion order based on two of Apple's patents."

"However, Apple has been stopped from trying to use its overbroad design patents to achieve a monopoly on rectangles and rounded corners," Yates said, referring to design features at issue in rejected patent claims.

"The proper focus for the smartphone industry is not a global war in the courts, but fair competition in the marketplace.

"Samsung will continue to launch many innovative products and we have already taken measures to ensure that all our products will continue to be available in the United States," the Samsung spokesman said.

The US International Trade Commission ruled that Samsung had infringed two Apple patents'--numbers 949 and 501, dealing with touchscreen actions and headphone jack plug-ins'--but cleared the South Korean company of charges that it had violated four more.

It was unclear precisely which devices would be targeted in the ban, but it was aimed at early model smartphones and tablets that are no longer hot products in the United States.

"It really doesn't mean that much," independent Silicon Valley analyst Rob Enderle said of the ITC ruling.

"It is not the new stuff they are talking about, but the older devices that are more likely to be shipped to emerging markets than here."

The import block is subject to a review by the White House and Samsung will be allowed to continue to sell the items at issue during the two-month review period.

The ITC ruling raised the question of whether US President Barack Obama's administration will once again intervene in a patent fight playing out between the companies at the agency.

Less than a week ago, the US Trade Representative overturned an ITC ruling in a patent suit brought by Samsung against Apple that would have banned the sale of certain iPads and iPhones in the United States.

It was the first time the USTR has overruled the commission since 1987, and South Korea's trade ministry made its feelings clear at the time.

Legal analysts point out that a critical difference in the cases is that the USTR intervened regarding patents deemed "standards essential," indicating that the technology involved was needed to comply with industry standards.

An Apple iPhone 4s (L) and a Samsung's Galaxy S3 are shown at a mobile phone shop in Seoul on August 27, 2012. Samsung has taken pains to modify smartphone and tablet designs to avoid attacks over Apple patents.

"Our ministry expresses concern about negative impacts the decision by the USTR will have on protecting patents held by Samsung," the company said in a statement at the time.

The ITC ruling also opens a door for Apple to try to use the same patent violation claim against newer Samsung gadgets that have incorporated the same technology.

Samsung has taken pains to modify smartphone and tablet designs to avoid attacks over Apple patents.

"I don't think this decision will reverberate much through Samsung's product line," Enderle said.

In a separate battle in US federal court, Samsung was ordered last August to pay more than $1 billion for patent infringement, a ruling which also opens the door to a ban on some Samsung devices.

A judge later slashed the award to $598.9 million. Apple continues its quest to get other Samsung mobile devices banned in that case.

Legal brawls between Samsung and Apple became common after the South Korean company began gobbling smartphone market share with devices powered by Google's free Android operating system.

Explore further:Obama administration overrules Apple import ban

(C) 2013 AFP

More from Physics Forums - General Engineering

Related Stories

Obama administration overrules Apple import ban Aug 04, 2013

President Obama's trade representative has vetoed a ban on imports of some Apple iPads and older iPhones, dealing a setback to rival South Korean electronics company Samsung.

US panel reviews patent ruling against Samsung Jan 24, 2013

The US International Trade Commission on Wednesday ordered review of a ruling that Samsung violated Apple patents for smartphones and tablet computers.

iPhone 4 imports banned in US patent case (Update 2) Jun 04, 2013

A U.S. trade agency on Tuesday issued a ban on imports of Apple's iPhone 4 and a variant of the iPad 2 after finding the devices violate a patent held by South Korean rival Samsung Electronics.

Apple fends off Samsung challenge in US trade panel (Update) Sep 14, 2012

Apple prevailed Friday at a US trade panel in a patent infringement complaint filed by South Korea's Samsung over wireless communication technology for the iPhone and other Apple devices.

US court revives Apple gripe against Motorola Mobility Aug 08, 2013

A US appeals court on Wednesday revived an Apple smartphone patent complaint against Motorola Mobility.

Tokyo court backs Apple against Samsung on patent Jun 21, 2013

Apple Inc. has won a patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung Electronics Co. in a Japanese court, one of dozens of legal battles around the world between the technology giants.

Recommended for you

Duel over Apple's punishment for e-book price-fixing 2 hours ago

US antitrust attorneys defended their push to restrict Apple in the e-books market as hearings opened Friday on how to punish the the tech giant found guilty of price-fixing.

Carlos Slim in $9.6BN bid for Dutch telecom KPN 20 hours ago

America Movil SAB, owned by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, will launch a 7.2 billion euro ($9.6 billion) bid for the part of Dutch telecom company Royal KPN NV it doesn't already own, in a challenge to a rival offer for ...

More than ninety percent of newspaper reading still with print editions Aug 09, 2013

A new study by Dr Neil Thurman, from City's Department of Journalism, shows that an average of at least ninety six percent of the time spent with newspapers by their UK readers was in print (excluding use of 'apps'). The ...

Tumblr founder to get $81M to remain at Yahoo Aug 09, 2013

Yahoo's recently completed acquisition of Internet blogging service Tumblr includes an $81 million payment to Tumblr founder David Karp as long as he remains on the job for the next four years.

Deutsche Telekom profit up, sees rebound in US Aug 08, 2013

Telephone company Deutsche Telekom AG said net profit increased 10 percent in the second quarter to 530 million euros ($704 million) and said its U.S. business was adding "droves" of new customers as its operations there ...

Groupon stock soars after 2Q results, new CEO Aug 08, 2013

Groupon's stock soared Thursday after the beleaguered online deals company named co-founder Eric Lefkofsky permanent CEO and posted stronger-than-expected revenue for the second quarter.

User comments : 0More news stories

Duel over Apple's punishment for e-book price-fixingUS antitrust attorneys defended their push to restrict Apple in the e-books market as hearings opened Friday on how to punish the the tech giant found guilty of price-fixing.

Researchers speed up transistors by embedding tunneling field-effect transistor(Phys.org) '--Researchers at Fudan University in China have discovered a way to speed up traditional computer transistors by embedding tunneling field-effect transistors (TFETs) in them. In their paper published ...

German companies to automatically encrypt emails (Update)Two of Germany's biggest Internet service providers said Friday they will start encrypting customers' emails by default in response to user concerns about online snooping after reports that the U.S. National Security Agency ...

Obama met IT, telecoms chiefs on surveillance (Update)President Barack Obama met at the White House with leaders of IT and telecoms giants, including Apple, Google and AT&T, to discuss controversial electronic surveillance programs, Politico reported Friday.

Carlos Slim in $9.6BN bid for Dutch telecom KPNAmerica Movil SAB, owned by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, will launch a 7.2 billion euro ($9.6 billion) bid for the part of Dutch telecom company Royal KPN NV it doesn't already own, in a challenge to a rival offer for ...

NASA 'fire towers' in space watch for wildfires on the rise(Phys.org) '--The Black Forest wildfire this June was one of the most destructive in Colorado history, in terms of homes lost. It started close to houses and quickly spread through the ponderosa pine canopies ...

Fresh analysis of dinosaur skulls finds three species are oneA new analysis of dinosaur fossils by University of Pennsylvania researchers has revealed that a number of specimens of the genus Psittacosaurus'--once believed to represent three different species'--are all members of a s ...

Nanodrug targeting breast cancer cells from the inside adds weapon: Immune system attackA unique nanoscale drug that can carry a variety of weapons and sneak into cancer cells to break them down from the inside has a new component: a protein that stimulates the immune system to attack HER2-positive breast cancer ...

Physicians' malpractice concerns predict more testing(HealthDay)'--Physicians' concerns about malpractice risk predict more aggressive diagnostic testing practices in office-based care, according to a study published in the August issue of Health Affairs.

What to do if your child chokes(HealthDay)'--Choking is a leading cause of injury and death among American children, especially those age 3 years and younger, and parents and other caregivers need to know what to do in such cases, an expert ...

(C) Phys.org' 2003-2013

Some Samsung imports banned in US patent caseJavascript is currently disabled in your web browser. For full site functionality, it is necessary to enable Javascript. In order to enable it, please see these instructions.2 hours agoThe US International Trade Commission has blocked imports of some Samsung electronic devices, backing complaints by Apple that the South Korean company violated its patents. The ruling was the latest in a long-running global legal battle over alleged patent infringement between the two smartphone and tablet giants.

The US International Trade Commission blocked imports of some older model Samsung mobile devices following complaints by Apple that the South Korean company had violated its patents.

The ruling by the Washington-based trade body was the latest in a long-running and bitter global battle over alleged patent infringement between the two smartphone and tablet computer giants.

The ITC ruled that Samsung had infringed two Apple patents'--numbers 949 and 501, dealing with touchscreen actions and headphone jack plug-ins'--but cleared the South Korean company of charges that it had violated four more.

Apple welcomed the ITC ruling while Samsung expressed its disappointment.

"With today's decision, the ITC has joined courts around the world in Japan, Korea, Germany, Netherlands and California by standing up for innovation and rejecting Samsung's blatant copying of Apple's products," Apple said in a statement.

"Protecting real innovation is what the patent system should be about," it said.

Spokesman Adam Yates said Samsung is "disappointed that the ITC has issued an exclusion order based on two of Apple's patents."

"However, Apple has been stopped from trying to use its overbroad design patents to achieve a monopoly on rectangles and rounded corners," Yates said, referring to design features at issue in rejected patent claims.

"The proper focus for the smartphone industry is not a global war in the courts, but fair competition in the marketplace.

"Samsung will continue to launch many innovative products and we have already taken measures to ensure that all our products will continue to be available in the United States," the Samsung spokesman said.

The US International Trade Commission ruled that Samsung had infringed two Apple patents'--numbers 949 and 501, dealing with touchscreen actions and headphone jack plug-ins'--but cleared the South Korean company of charges that it had violated four more.

It was unclear precisely which devices would be targeted in the ban, but it was aimed at early model smartphones and tablets that are no longer hot products in the United States.

"It really doesn't mean that much," independent Silicon Valley analyst Rob Enderle said of the ITC ruling.

"It is not the new stuff they are talking about, but the older devices that are more likely to be shipped to emerging markets than here."

The import block is subject to a review by the White House and Samsung will be allowed to continue to sell the items at issue during the two-month review period.

The ITC ruling raised the question of whether US President Barack Obama's administration will once again intervene in a patent fight playing out between the companies at the agency.

Less than a week ago, the US Trade Representative overturned an ITC ruling in a patent suit brought by Samsung against Apple that would have banned the sale of certain iPads and iPhones in the United States.

It was the first time the USTR has overruled the commission since 1987, and South Korea's trade ministry made its feelings clear at the time.

Legal analysts point out that a critical difference in the cases is that the USTR intervened regarding patents deemed "standards essential," indicating that the technology involved was needed to comply with industry standards.

An Apple iPhone 4s (L) and a Samsung's Galaxy S3 are shown at a mobile phone shop in Seoul on August 27, 2012. Samsung has taken pains to modify smartphone and tablet designs to avoid attacks over Apple patents.

"Our ministry expresses concern about negative impacts the decision by the USTR will have on protecting patents held by Samsung," the company said in a statement at the time.

The ITC ruling also opens a door for Apple to try to use the same patent violation claim against newer Samsung gadgets that have incorporated the same technology.

Samsung has taken pains to modify smartphone and tablet designs to avoid attacks over Apple patents.

"I don't think this decision will reverberate much through Samsung's product line," Enderle said.

In a separate battle in US federal court, Samsung was ordered last August to pay more than $1 billion for patent infringement, a ruling which also opens the door to a ban on some Samsung devices.

A judge later slashed the award to $598.9 million. Apple continues its quest to get other Samsung mobile devices banned in that case.

Legal brawls between Samsung and Apple became common after the South Korean company began gobbling smartphone market share with devices powered by Google's free Android operating system.

Explore further:Obama administration overrules Apple import ban

(C) 2013 AFP

More from Physics Forums - General Engineering

Related Stories

Obama administration overrules Apple import ban Aug 04, 2013

President Obama's trade representative has vetoed a ban on imports of some Apple iPads and older iPhones, dealing a setback to rival South Korean electronics company Samsung.

US panel reviews patent ruling against Samsung Jan 24, 2013

The US International Trade Commission on Wednesday ordered review of a ruling that Samsung violated Apple patents for smartphones and tablet computers.

iPhone 4 imports banned in US patent case (Update 2) Jun 04, 2013

A U.S. trade agency on Tuesday issued a ban on imports of Apple's iPhone 4 and a variant of the iPad 2 after finding the devices violate a patent held by South Korean rival Samsung Electronics.

Apple fends off Samsung challenge in US trade panel (Update) Sep 14, 2012

Apple prevailed Friday at a US trade panel in a patent infringement complaint filed by South Korea's Samsung over wireless communication technology for the iPhone and other Apple devices.

US court revives Apple gripe against Motorola Mobility Aug 08, 2013

A US appeals court on Wednesday revived an Apple smartphone patent complaint against Motorola Mobility.

Tokyo court backs Apple against Samsung on patent Jun 21, 2013

Apple Inc. has won a patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung Electronics Co. in a Japanese court, one of dozens of legal battles around the world between the technology giants.

Recommended for you

Duel over Apple's punishment for e-book price-fixing 2 hours ago

US antitrust attorneys defended their push to restrict Apple in the e-books market as hearings opened Friday on how to punish the the tech giant found guilty of price-fixing.

Carlos Slim in $9.6BN bid for Dutch telecom KPN 20 hours ago

America Movil SAB, owned by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, will launch a 7.2 billion euro ($9.6 billion) bid for the part of Dutch telecom company Royal KPN NV it doesn't already own, in a challenge to a rival offer for ...

More than ninety percent of newspaper reading still with print editions Aug 09, 2013

A new study by Dr Neil Thurman, from City's Department of Journalism, shows that an average of at least ninety six percent of the time spent with newspapers by their UK readers was in print (excluding use of 'apps'). The ...

Tumblr founder to get $81M to remain at Yahoo Aug 09, 2013

Yahoo's recently completed acquisition of Internet blogging service Tumblr includes an $81 million payment to Tumblr founder David Karp as long as he remains on the job for the next four years.

Deutsche Telekom profit up, sees rebound in US Aug 08, 2013

Telephone company Deutsche Telekom AG said net profit increased 10 percent in the second quarter to 530 million euros ($704 million) and said its U.S. business was adding "droves" of new customers as its operations there ...

Groupon stock soars after 2Q results, new CEO Aug 08, 2013

Groupon's stock soared Thursday after the beleaguered online deals company named co-founder Eric Lefkofsky permanent CEO and posted stronger-than-expected revenue for the second quarter.

User comments : 0More news stories

Duel over Apple's punishment for e-book price-fixingUS antitrust attorneys defended their push to restrict Apple in the e-books market as hearings opened Friday on how to punish the the tech giant found guilty of price-fixing.

Researchers speed up transistors by embedding tunneling field-effect transistor(Phys.org) '--Researchers at Fudan University in China have discovered a way to speed up traditional computer transistors by embedding tunneling field-effect transistors (TFETs) in them. In their paper published ...

German companies to automatically encrypt emails (Update)Two of Germany's biggest Internet service providers said Friday they will start encrypting customers' emails by default in response to user concerns about online snooping after reports that the U.S. National Security Agency ...

Obama met IT, telecoms chiefs on surveillance (Update)President Barack Obama met at the White House with leaders of IT and telecoms giants, including Apple, Google and AT&T, to discuss controversial electronic surveillance programs, Politico reported Friday.

Carlos Slim in $9.6BN bid for Dutch telecom KPNAmerica Movil SAB, owned by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, will launch a 7.2 billion euro ($9.6 billion) bid for the part of Dutch telecom company Royal KPN NV it doesn't already own, in a challenge to a rival offer for ...

NASA 'fire towers' in space watch for wildfires on the rise(Phys.org) '--The Black Forest wildfire this June was one of the most destructive in Colorado history, in terms of homes lost. It started close to houses and quickly spread through the ponderosa pine canopies ...

Fresh analysis of dinosaur skulls finds three species are oneA new analysis of dinosaur fossils by University of Pennsylvania researchers has revealed that a number of specimens of the genus Psittacosaurus'--once believed to represent three different species'--are all members of a s ...

Nanodrug targeting breast cancer cells from the inside adds weapon: Immune system attackA unique nanoscale drug that can carry a variety of weapons and sneak into cancer cells to break them down from the inside has a new component: a protein that stimulates the immune system to attack HER2-positive breast cancer ...

Physicians' malpractice concerns predict more testing(HealthDay)'--Physicians' concerns about malpractice risk predict more aggressive diagnostic testing practices in office-based care, according to a study published in the August issue of Health Affairs.

What to do if your child chokes(HealthDay)'--Choking is a leading cause of injury and death among American children, especially those age 3 years and younger, and parents and other caregivers need to know what to do in such cases, an expert ...

(C) Phys.org' 2003-2013