Apple Escapes iPhone Import Ban in Second Qualcomm Case

(Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. escaped a possible import ban of its iconic iPhone after a U.S. trade agency rejected a patent-infringement claim filed by Qualcomm Inc. in the second of two cases before the U.S. International Trade Commission.
 
A Qualcomm patent for a battery-saving feature is invalid, the commission said in a notice on its website. The decision sidesteps an argument over whether an import ban would curb Intel’s move into the market for modem chips and give foreign competitors a lead in fifth-generation wireless technology.

The decision came just hours after a separate ITC judge said Apple infringed a different Qualcomm patent. That case also is subject to review by the full commission, which is expected to complete that investigation by July.

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