US ITC says Apple infringes Samsung patent, bans some products

[phaZed]

A U.S. trade body found the Silicon Valley giant had infringed on a patent owned by the Korean company and slapped a ban on the sale of certain older iPhone and iPad models sold by AT&T Inc.

The U.S. International Trade Commission, an independent federal agency, issued a limited order stopping all imports and sales for AT&T models of the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 3G and iPad 2 3G. The versions targeted are more than a year old but are still solid sellers.

Tuesday's ruling overturned a decision by ITC Judge James Gildea, who ruled in September that Apple did not violate patents at issue in the case, which was filed in mid-2011.

Apple was found to infringe on a patent that relates to 3G wireless technology and the ability to transmit multiple services simultaneously and correctly. It is essential to ensuring that the devices are interoperable.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/06/04/us-apple-samsung-patent-idUSBRE95319C20130604

Ouch, that patent seems to be a bit more substantial than Apple's big-win last year for the "bounce-back" feature when a user scrolls to an end image, and the ability to zoom text with a tap of a finger.