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Samsung has failed to win a presidential veto overturning a looming import ban on several of its older mobile devices, reports Bloomberg. The ban is based on a verdict in a U.S. International Trade Commission case in which the company was ruled to have infringed upon patents held by Apple.
“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 import ban to proceed, Obama’s designee, U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman, said in a statement today.
The Office of the United States Trade Representative last month vetoed a similar ban that had been issued against Apple over Samsung patents. That order was the first such veto since 1987 and came amid increasing calls for less reliance on the threat of barring product imports as part of patent litigation strategies. In particular, Samsung's wielding of "standards essential" patents covering basic functions of the device necessary for its operation was seen as overly aggressive when such patents are required to be licensed under reasonable terms.
Samsung had argued that its ban should be overturned on grounds similar to those cited in the Apple ban veto, but Froman disagreed, noting that Samsung had already released several devices with approved workarounds for the features that had been ruled to be infringing upon Apple's patents.
Samsung may still seek a delay in the import ban, but that will require a full review of the case on legal ground by a U.S. appeals court.
Top Rated Comments
(View all)Samsung is as dirty as Steve Jobs was innovative. Some of the components in the products I use may be Samsung, but I will never purchase a Samsung branded product, ever.
That about sums it up right there
It's all a big farce. A legitimate ban was vetoed and an illegitimate was upheld. Gives you a lesson on our government's protectionism.
The Samesung force is strong in this one. Your cheque is in the mail after 10 more Samesung posts.
Pot calling the kettle. Why are you here?
It is clear. It's protectionism.
Apple didn't take license to those standard setting patents so that's why the veto. So they didn't innovate and didn't pay. And note, essential standards don't just pop out of nowhere. People invent them. So if Apple is held out by not having access to standard essential patents it's because either they didn't pay later, or they didn't participate earlier, by doing R&D and collaborating in the creation of the standard.
In this case, it's not standard essential so Apple doesn't have to offer a license and didn't. So now they're arguing that because Samsung "innovated," it will be punished.
You make my head hurt. Do you also get confused by traffic lights?