Samsung Appeals ITC Ruling on Apple Products

Beijing, August 5 - According to a report by the Financial Times on Monday, despite the Obama administration overturning a patent ruling in favor of Samsung Electronics, the company said it would continue to pursue other measures to penalize Apple for its infringement. Samsung stated that an American appeals court had agreed to hold a hearing regarding its patent litigation with Apple.

Recently, the Obama administration rejected a ruling made by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) in June this year that banned the importation and sales of certain iPhones and iPads in the U.S. This was also the first time since 1987 that the U.S. government overturned a ruling by the ITC.

Samsung expressed regret over the U.S. government's actions and disclosed on Monday that the company had already filed an appeal with the court regarding the ITC's ruling result on July 18. In the previous ruling, the ITC determined that Apple infringed on only one of Samsung's patents, whereas Samsung claimed in its complaint that Apple infringed on four of its patents.

According to a Samsung spokesperson, the appeal documents have been submitted to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit located in Washington, and the related hearings are scheduled to be held in the first quarter of next year.

Samsung's appeal could lead to another ban on the sale of some older iPhone and iPad models by Apple in the U.S.

In the explanatory letter overturning the ITC ruling, U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman stated that he made the decision because the ruling might affect consumers as well as the competitive environment in the U.S. economy.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy of South Korea expressed concern on Monday about the U.S. government's rejection of the ITC's ruling banning the import of Apple products. The ministry stated that it would closely monitor the outcome of the patent infringement case brought by Apple against Samsung and future decisions by the U.S. government, hoping that the U.S. government would make fair and reasonable decisions.