Well, it looks like Samsung isn't having the best time in its legal spat with Apple in the U.S. – the U.S. International Trade Commission has banned some of Samsung's previous phones in the country in a ruling yesterday, after deciding they infringed on two of Apple's patents, one regarding touchscreen technology and one dealing with headphone jacks.
In particular, the Samsung Continuum (SCH-1400) and Transform (SPH-M920) both infringe on some or all parts of the headset patent according to the ITC and have been banned from import, though since neither are actually in production any more it's not a considerable issue, apart from giving Apple an upper hand in one of their plethora of patent battles.
Samsung spokesman Adam Yates issued the following statement over the decision:
We are disappointed that the ITC has issued an exclusion order based on two of Apple's patents. However, 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. 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.
The ruling, which is final, comes after Apple managed to get a ban on its products lifted through a decision by the White House, and is another in series of wins that the Cupertino company has managed to obtain in the legal proceedings. What Samsung does to counter it remains to be seen, but again, don't expect things to simmer down any time soon.
In case you're interested, the full ruling is below.
