Smartphone maker HTC has been found to have infringed on patents owned by Apple in the US, according to a decision that was made late today by the US International Trade Commission. In its report, the US ITC said that starting on April 19, 2012 HTC won't be able to import some of its smartphones into the country as a result of the patent violations. HTC will be able to bring in phones that are slated for owners who have had their older devices repaired.
This new decision comes after the US ITC ruled back in July that HTC had violated two of Apple's patents that deal with a "system and method for performing an action on a structure in a computer" and a "real-time signal processing system for serially transmitted data." HTC appealed the decision but today's verdict seems to be the final word on this particular case.
The ruling is a victory for Apple who has been fighting patent battles on a number of fronts around the world with companies like HTC and Samsung. Today's decision does give HTC time to get the ruling reversed or change its smartphones so that they no longer violate Apple's patents. It could also settle with Apple and pay the company to use its patents in HTC's phones.
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