US trade body delays ruling on Samsung's complaint against Apple

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has postponed to next week its ruling on patent infringement claims filed by Samsung Electronics Co. against Apple Inc., a decision that may lead to an import ban on iPhones. The ITC was originally scheduled to rule on Thursday, but said it will delay its decision until March 13, according to its Web site.  In June 2011, Samsung Electronics filed a complaint with the U.S. government agency, claiming Apple products infringed on four of its technology patents, including those on data transmission and dialing method. The ITC is an independent federal agency, working with the Department of Commerce, and it determines the impact of imports on U.S. industries and directs actions against unfair trade practices, such as subsidies, dumping, patent, trademark and copyright infringements. ITC Administrative Judge James Gildea dismissed those claims in a September preliminary ruling last year saying that no domestic industry exists for the four patents. If the Washington-based trade agency reverses its previous decision and approves Samsung's claims over any of the four patents in the March 13 ruling, Apple may be banned from importing its products manufactured by supplier plants outside of the U.S. Even if the decision is finalized with a U.S. presidential approval, it is likely to have limited impact on Apple since Samsung's complaints do not address some of the latest products such as the iPhone 5 and the iPad mini. The ruling will mark the latest development in the patent row between Samsung Electronics and Apple, the world's two biggest smartphone makers that have been fighting to protect their stakes in the lucrative smartphone sector. Earlier this month, the South Korean smartphone maker scored a victory on Apple's home turf as U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh scaled back a previous penalty order worth US$1.05 billion. Koh ordered Samsung Electronics to pay Apple $598.9 million, roughly $450 million less than the initial decision, citing calculation errors in a U.S. jury's decision. Meanwhile, the ITC is set to issue a preliminary ruling on Apple's complaints against Samsung Electronics on April 1. The final ruling is scheduled for August.