ITC Ruling In Apple’s Favor Could Ban Sales Of Some Samsung Products In US If Obama Doesn’t Intervene

After President Barack Obama recently vetoed the International Trade Commission's sales ban on the Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone 4 and iPad 2, the ITC ruled on Friday that some Samsung (KRX:005935) products infringed on two Apple patents, and therefore, should be barred from being sold in the U.S.

“The commission has determined that the appropriate remedy is a limited exclusion order prohibiting Samsung 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,” ITC said in court documents.

Although the court order did not list the names of the Samsung devices that are likely to be banned in the U.S., a number of handsets and tablets from the South Korean tech giant are expected to get the blow. The banned devices can still be sold during a presidential review period of 60 days. If Obama does not veto the order, it will go into effect.

The ITC, on the other hand, also ruled in Samsung’s favor by rejecting four other patent infringement claims asserted by Apple, thereby clearing Samsung of violating them.

Nonetheless Apple said the ITC ruling justified its arguments in the intense legal brawl with its biggest rival.

“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,” Kristin Huguet of Apple was quoted by Reuters as saying.

Spokesman Adam Yates said Samsung was disappointed as the ITC had issued the exclusion order, but it was also pleased at the same time as “Apple has been stopped from trying to use its overbroad design patents to achieve a monopoly on rectangles and rounded corners.”

“The proper focus for the smartphone industry is not a global war in the courts, but fair competition in the marketplace,” Yates said. “Samsung will continue to launch many innovative products, and we have already taken measures to ensure that all of our products will continue to be available in the United States.”

Here is the text of the ITC ruling:

ITC ruling in Apple Samsung by inafried