Apple has asked the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) to stay on an upcoming ban on three of their devices.
The Cupertino-based company asked for the stay as it waits an appeal on the ITC's ruling to ban the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, and iPad 2 in the U.S. The ban, which starts Aug. 5 following a 60-day review although President Barack Obama can override the decision, would force Apple to halt the imports of the gadgets into the U.S.
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Apple stated that the ruling "will sweep away an entire segment of Apple's product offerings."
"If the Orders go into effect, Apple will lose not only sales of its iPhone 4 (GSM) and iPad 2 3G (GSM) products but also the opportunity to gain new smartphone and tablet customers who otherwise would have purchased these entry- level Apple devices," Apple continued.
As Latinos Post reported in early June, the ITC order, signed by ITC's Acting Secretary Lisa R. Barton, stated Samsung "has proven" that the three before-mentioned Apple devices infringed Samsung patent '348. Further, the commission believes Apple did not provide enough evidence to show they didn't violate any of Samsung's claims.
Apple has issued an appeal while President Obama transferred the decision to veto to the United States Trade Representative (USTR).
"The ITC has taken action that threatens an international political, regulatory, and judicial consensus aimed at critical economic issues cutting across the world-wide economy. And, it has done so for a party, Samsung, that seeks nothing more than hold-up leverage to make exorbitant licensing demands," claimed Apple in their appeal to the USTR, submitted by Apple's Senior Vice President and General Counsel Bruce Sewell.
The ITC case is a separate matter from their San Jose patent infringement trial. In latest developments, Apple lost its bid to add the Samsung Galaxy S4 to the lawsuit. The second patent infringement trial, set for spring 2014, currently includes the iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S3, and Galaxy Note 2, to name a few. As Latinos Post has been monitoring, Judge Koh reduced the $1.05 billion verdict of the first trial by 40 percent, or approximately $450.5 million. Apple was awarded the sum by a jury last August.