The
White House on Tuesday upheld a ban on importing and selling certain Samsung
smartphones and tablets, which had been imposed by the US International Trade
Commission (ITC) in August after Apple accused the Korean company of imitating
its products.
The
decision means that from Wednesday, Samsung will not be allowed to sell someolder products, such as its Galaxy S 4G smartphone and Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet.
The
White House has the power to veto import bans imposed by US courts on public
interest grounds, but declined to grant Samsung the exception.
The
decision is unlikely to significantly affect Samsung’s bottom line, since the
products have been replaced by newer models and are not sold in significant
quantities.
However,
Mr Obama’s refusal to act is likely to irk the Korean company, especially since
a similar ban on selling older Apple products was recently vetoed on public
interest grounds.
In
August, the White House overturned an ITC ban on sales of the iPhone 4, iPhone
3GS, iPad 3G and iPad 2 3G, which came after a legal challenge from Samsung. It
was the first time a president had exercised the veto since 1987.
Tuesday’s
decision represents the first time that sales of either Apple or Samsung
products will have been restricted in the US, despite years of legal wrangling
between the two companies.
Last
year, Samsung was ordered to pay Apple $1bn (£622m), although this figure has
since been reduced and the ruling appealed.
The
two companies have sparred in courts around the world, each accusing the other
of copying their technology.
Source: Telegraph
previous article
Newer Post
No comments
Post a Comment