Apple violated Qualcomm patent; judge for import ban on China-made iPhones

Apple Inc. infringes a Qualcomm Inc. patent and some imported iPhones should be blocked from the U.S. as a result, a U.S. trade judge said in one of two cases before the U.S. International Trade Commission.

ITC Judge MaryJoan McNamara said she would be recommending an import ban on certain model iPhones, which are made in China, according to a notice posted on the Washington agency’s electronic docket. The judge found no violation of two other Qualcomm patents in the case. The judge’s findings are subject to review by the full commission, which has the power to block imports of products that infringe U.S. patents. A final decision is expected by July.
Qualcomm jumped as much as much as 2.6 percent in New York and were trading at $58.11 at 3 p.m. Apple pared gains and was down less than one percent. The judge’s full findings aren’t yet public, and won’t be until both sides get a chance to redact confidential information.
The case is one of two that Qualcomm brought at the trade agency, seeking an import ban on iPhones to give it greater leverage in technology licensing negotiations. Qualcomm says it’s due billions of dollars in unpaid royalties on the iPhone as the two tech giants argue over the value of the chipmaker’s patents. The commission is scheduled to release its final decision in the other case later Tuesday. In that case, a separate trade judge found a violation of a different Qualcomm patent, but recommended that no import ban be imposed. Read More

Article Source -> Business Standard