The Obama administration halted a ban on older models of iPhones and iPads in a rare presidential move to overturn a decision by the International Trade Commission.
The announcement Saturday broke from a long tradition of administrations not intervening when the ITC issues import bans on products. The last time a ban was overturned was in 1987.
Continue Reading U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said he would stop both an import ban and a cease-and-desist order that would have required Apple to remove the products from its shelves.
In his letter to ITC Chairman Irving Williamson, Froman said the ability to license patents that are part of essential industry standards is "an important element of the administration's policy of promoting innovation and economic progress." One Samsung patent involved in the case is part of industry standards.
An Apple spokesperson said "we applaud the administration for standing up for innovation in this landmark case. Samsung was wrong to abuse the patent system in this way."
A Samsung spokesperson said the firm was "disappointed" by the USTR's decision. "The ITC's decision correctly recognized that Samsung has been negotiating in good faith and that Apple remains unwilling to take a license," the spokesperson said.
The ITC import ban arose from a patent dispute at the ITC between Samsung and Apple. The quasi-judicial trade body agreed with the South Korean electronics firm that some iPhone 4 and iPad 2 models violated Samsung patents and ordered a ban on the import and sale of the products.
After the ITC issued its ruling in June, the decision underwent a 60-day presidential review period.
The case has generated intense interest in the technology industry because it's part of a larger battle over whether companies that have agreed to make their patents part of industry standards can then seek injunctions or import bans against rival products over alleged patent violations.
Last week, a group of senators wrote a letter to Froman expressing concern that if the Apple ban is enacted, the tech industry's standards-setting process could be jeopardized.
