Some Samsung gadgets can be banned in U.S.

PanARMENIAN.Net - Some older Samsung gadgets look set to be banned in the U.S. following a patent row with Apple, according to BBC News.

In early August, Apple won a case at the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) that found Samsung had infringed two patents covering mobile technology.

That victory called for an import ban on some Samsung products but this was postponed pending an appeal.

A U.S. official overseeing the patent row has now rejected Samsung's appeal, meaning the ban will come into force.

"After carefully weighing policy considerations, including the impact on consumers and competition, advice from agencies and information from interested parties, I have decided to allow the commission's determination... to become final," said U.S. trade representative Michael Froman.

The patents in dispute cover detecting fingers on a touchscreen and the workings of the audio jack on smartphones and tablets. In August, Samsung was cleared of violating four other patented technologies.

So far, it is not clear which products will be banned from sale. In its appeal, Samsung said it had, for newer products, developed its own technologies that did not draw on Apple's patented ideas. The ITC has already approved the workarounds for the disputed technologies.

In August, U.S. President Barack Obama overturned another ITC ruling that called for a ban on Apple products. He issued the first presidential veto for 26 years on an ITC matter when he decided to stop the ban on older iPhones and iPads.

Apple and Samsung have regularly clashed in court over the past few years and have fought patent battles across 10 countries.