HTC Corp <2498.TW>, the world's No. 5 smartphone maker, does not infringe patented technology owned by FlashPoint Technology in making its smartphones with digital cameras, the International Trade Commission said on Tuesday.

An ITC judge said in July that HTC did not infringe the FlashPoint technology in making its Android and Windows smartphones. The full commission upheld that decision.

The ITC said it terminated the investigation.

FlashPoint had also accused Nokia , Research in Motion and LG Electronics <066570.KS> of infringement, but the three companies settled. FlashPoint, a former subsidiary of Apple , is a 15-year-old patent licensing company based in New Hampshire.

The case is one of several dozen patent complaints over smartphones filed globally as smartphone makers battle each other, using patents as weapons, and patent licensing companies seek a chunk of the lucrative market.

The complaint was filed with the ITC last year.

The ITC is a popular venue for patent complaints since it can ban the importation of infringing products from entry into the United States.

The case is at the International Trade Commission and is No. 337-726.

(Reporting by Diane Bartz; editing by Carol Bishopric)

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