In August the ITC gave its ruling on a matter that was put forward by Samsung. The Korean manufacturer claimed that Apple infringed on some of its patents, the ITC’s ruling would have resulted in a formal ban on sales of some older iPhone and iPad models. The U.S. President has the power to review ITC’s decision within 60 days and if he sees fit, he can veto the decision. That’s exactly what the administration did in Apple’s case, it vetoed the ban, but the same courtesy hasn’t been extended to Samsung.
U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said that the import ban on some older Samsung smartphones and tablets is going to proceed “after carefully weighing policy considerations, including impact on consumers and competition.” Some might hold the view that the administration is playing favourites, but it claims that nationality of both companies has “played no role in the review process.” Adam Yates, a spokesman for Samsung, says that the import ban will only “reduce competition and limit choice for the American consumer,” and that Samsung is disappointed in this decision. As it is now clear that the administration is in no mood to veto the ban, Samsung can now seek to have it delayed from a U.S. appeals court, which will look at the entire case on legal merits.
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