Apple wins key patent case against rival Samsung in US

The US ITC upheld a 2011 decision which found that Samsung had infringed Apple patents in the production of mobile phones, media players and tablets. The US ITC has ordered that Samsung devices affected by the ruling are banned from the US. But that ban is on hold while US President Barack Obama reviews the decision. The President has 60 days to assess the US ITC's findings, although analysts say he is unlikely to overturn the commission's decision. "We are disappointed that the ITC has issued an exclusion order based on two of Apple's patents," Samsung said in a statement. "The proper focus for the smartphone industry is not a global war in the courts, but fair competition in the marketplace." Apple hailed the decision, placing it in the context of the tech giants' global patent battles. "With today's decision, the ITC has joined courts around the world in Japan, Korea, Germany, Netherlands and California by standing up for innovation and rejecting Samsung's blatant copying of Apple's products," said the company.