ITC gives nod to Apple in patent case

A preliminary International Trade Commission ruling says U.S. technology giant Apple did not violate four of Samsung's mobile device patents. Cnet reported that the ruling has yet to be approved by the International Trade Commission's six-member commission, which is the final step in the ITC process. Samsung had filed a complaint against Apple involving five patents, including one involving music track technology that was dropped. The ITC ruled on a patent for CDMA wireless technology, for packet transmission, for dialing and for digital documents, Cnet said. Apple did not comment on the ruling, but Samsung issued a statement saying it remained "confident that the full commission will ultimately reach a final determination that affirms our position that Apple must be held accountable for free-riding on our technological innovations." The two companies have filed several lawsuits for patent violations and last month completed a trial in San Jose, Calif., where the patent court ruled in favor of Apple. While civil cases can have serious outcomes, the International Trade Commission ruling comes with the threat of a product embargo, which can spur the companies to settle their differences quickly, Cnet reported.