itc

Samsung's getting a second chance against Apple in at least one legal venue.

The U.S. International Trade Commission today said it will review a decision made by one of its administrative law judges, who in September sided with Apple in a patent infringement complaint filed against it by the South Korean technology giant last year.

In a filing (PDF) this afternoon (via Bloomberg), the ITC said it plans to review that September ruling "in its entirety."

To be sure, the change is not a reversal but procedural in nature. Following any initial determination, rulings need to … Read more

An administrative law judge for the U.S. International Trade Commission has sided with Apple in its patent complaint against Samsung.

In an initial determination filed today (PDF), Judge Thomas Pender said that Samsung is, in fact violating one of Apple's iPhone design patents, as well as three software feature patents. However no violation was found with claims from two other Apple patents.

The ruling, which could lead to sales bans of those products in the U.S., is preliminary and needs to be approved by the ITC's full six-member commission.

In a statement, Samsung said the decision … Read more

The U.S. International Trade Commission announced today that its members have voted to begin an investigation on behalf of security software company VirnetX into whether Apple infringes on its intellectual property with its mobile phones, tablets, and computers.

The company filed the complaint against Apple last month, saying the iPhone, iPad, and Mac maker was infringing on its patent that covers a secure connection between two computers over a network. VirnetX aims to halt the importation of Apple products into the U.S., though the two companies are likely to reach a settlement or licensing deal instead.

As the … Read more

Motorola Mobility, a unit of Google, yesterday withdrew a complaint against Apple -- its second one -- from the U.S. International Trade Commission.

The complaint involved the infringement of seven non-essential standards patents that Motorola accused Apple of violating, according to Foss Patents, which first spotted the move.

It's a surprise move given the trend of escalating legal battles between Apple and its various opponents, from Samsung Electronics to Motorola.

What's surprising is Motorola just filed the complaint in August, and there isn't any reason given for the withdrawal. Two weeks ago, the ITC said it … Read more

Apple and Research In Motion can now intervene in Kodak's efforts to reinstate its patent case against the two tech giants, which was tossed by the U.S. International Trade Commission earlier this year.

In a court order (pdf) posted last week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington, D.C., said both Apple and RIM could intervene in the case, in which Kodak accused the two companies of infringing on its patents.

The decision means both companies can participate in Kodak's appeal and defend the products accused of infringement.

Kodak originally filed … Read more

The U.S. International Trade Commission ruled that Apple's iPhones, iPods, and iPads do not violate four Samsung patents, dealing a blow to Samsung's legal offensive against Apple and its portable devices.

The ruling (PDF) is preliminary and needs to be approved by the ITC's full six-member commission.

"We remain confident that the full commission will ultimately reach a final determination that affirms our position that Apple must be held accountable for free-riding on our technological innovations," Samsung said in a statement. "We are proud of our long history of innovation in the mobile … Read more

Motorola Mobility said it isn't worried about a looming import ban on many of its products that takes effect tomorrow.

"Motorola has taken proactive measures to ensure that our industry leading smartphones remain available to consumers in the U.S.," the company said in an e-mailed statement.

The ban, which takes effect tomorrow, comes from a U.S. International Trade Commission ruling that Motorola illegally used Microsoft's technology relating to meeting requests and group scheduling in its products. Motorola is now a unit of Google.

Motorola didn't provide specifics, but the company said it would … Read more

Imports of HTC phones into the United States will continue after a U.S. judge denied Apple's request for a sales ban on the devices in an ongoing patent dispute between the companies.

The U.S. International Trade Commission launched an investigation on Sunday into Apple's claim that HTC was continuing to infringe on one of its patents in violation of a December order to cease. The ITC, a federal agency with the power to ban imports of devices found to infringe on U.S. patents, today rejected Apple's request for an emergency order banning the importation … Read more

It looks like the Xbox won't be banned from the U.S. just yet.

The U.S. International Trade Commission is putting off a ruling on whether sales of the gaming console should be prohibited in the states owing to infringement of patents held by Google and its Motorola Mobility unit, Reuters reports.

In late May, an ITC judge recommended the ban, based on his ruling that the Xbox infringes patents regarding wireless Net connectivity, video compression, and other technologies. The ITC had been expected to release a decision on the proposed ban in August but has instead sent … Read more