ITC To Samsung: Two Apple Patents Infringed, Some Products Banned

Earlier this week, an ITC ban of certain older Apple products was overturned by President Obama in a veto of the decision, something the Samsung expressed displeasure over. Following this, the International Trade Commission ruled today that the Korean company violated two of Apple's patents, and as a result certain products in its lineup should be banned from sale.

All was not entirely in Apple's favor, however, with the Commission also ruling that Samsung did not infringe on four other patents that were under scrutiny. While the specific products that violate the two patents weren't detailed, word has it multiple tablets and smartphones from the company were encompassed. Regardless, Samsung has hinted that necessary changes have already been made to avoid the ban.

On the flip side, Apple has praised the decision, stating: "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. Protecting real innovation is what the patent system should be about."

According to CNN, the two patents that were ruled as infringed were related to touchscreen multitouch and the detection of a headset plug. The ITC ruling, meanwhile, stated that Samsung should be banned "from importing certain electronic digital media devices that infringe one or more of claims 1, 4-6, 10, and 17-20 of the '949 patent and claims 1-4 and 8 of the '501 patent."

Samsung, meanwhile, responded with a bittersweet statement, expressing both disappointment regarding the ITC's ruling for exclusion, but did praise it for stopping Apple from achieving "a monopoly on rectangles and rounded corners." A company spokesperson went on to state that the industry should be about fair competition, not legal wars.

SOURCE: AllThingsD