iPhone 4S Release Date: Apple Wins Patent Ruling Against HTC

By Elton Jones, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Smartphone creator HTC has been unsuccessful in its court injunction against Apple; the company claimed that Apple violated four of its patents.

Google's Android partner HTC was told by the U.S. International Trade Commission that Apple did not infringe on its patents for smartphones and tablets.

HTC said they have yet to receive a full report on the U.S. ITC's findings for its case.

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HTC filed its complaint against Apple in May of last year. HTC alleged that Apple had violated its patents relating to power management and phone number directories. They asked that the ITC ban the import of Apple devices, such as the iPhone 4S and iPad 2, that infringed on its patents.

Grace Lei, HTC general counsel said, "This is only one step of many in these legal proceedings. We are confident we have a strong case for the ITC appeals process and are fully prepared to protect our intellectual property. We look forward to resolving this case, so we can continue creating the most innovative mobile experiences for consumers."

Apple also filed a court complaint against HTC that accused them of infringing on its patents. In July, an initial determination from the U.S. ITC ruled in Apple's favor.

If this decision becomes final, HTC could end up being banned from importing its handsets into the U.S.

The U.S. International Trade Commission is a noteworthy venue for intellectual property cases because it can stop the import of any companies' goods, should they rule against them.

So far, Apple seems to be prevailing in all the court dealings that have been dealt to them by rival companies in several markets.

Just last week, Apple won a ruling in a Sydney, Australia court which banned the sale of the Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 in Australia.

And yesterday, Samsung filed a patent complaint against Apple. Samsung wants to see to it that Apple's newly launched iPhone 4S will be banned in Australia and Japan, with additional bids to slow the sales of the iPad 2 and iPhone 4 in Japan.