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iPhone 4, iPad 2 Get US Import Ban

Posted by Soulskill on from the only-one-generation-after-it-matters dept.

Bent Spoke writes "The U.S. trade agency has banned the import of older Apple iPhone and iPad models due to the violation of a patent held by Samsung (PDF). 'The president can overturn the import ban on public-policy grounds, though that rarely happens. Apple can keep selling the devices during the 60-day review period. ... Apple pledged to appeal the ITC decision. The underlying findings will be reviewed by a U.S. appeals court specializing in patent cases. ... The decision could mean fewer choices for AT&T and T-Mobile customers who want to get an iPhone without paying the higher cost of the iPhone 5. Samsung told the commission that Cupertino, California-based Apple could drop the price of the iPhone 5 if it was worried about losing potential customers. All of the iPhones are made in Asia.' It's getting so complicated we need a scorecard to keep track of who's winning these offensive patent battles in the smartphone coliseum."

2 of 213 comments (clear)

  1. Re:You know what they say.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    1. Phones exist (very important logical point I believe).

    What a revelation.

    2. American company asks an Asian company to make a new type of phone based on a set of blue prints that the American company provides.

    Yeah.

    3. Asian company builds a machine that makes said blue prints.

    'said blue prints'? So a machine that makes the exact blueprints that were sent to them such that the american company did nothing other than turn on the machine that makes the blue prints and sent the output to the asian company? Or did the american company create them somewhere and just print them out on the blue print making machine?

    4. American company asks for X number of phones to be built. Asian company delivers X number of phones.

    That's generally how it works.

    5. Asian company realises they can make Y number of phones which is x2 as much as X.

    Y number of what phones? The ones the American company contracted them to make? Or different ones? Or are they built from the output of the asian blue print making machine?

    6. Asian company sells X-Y=Z phones

    So they sell -X phones? According to point 5 Y = 2X so given the above Z = -X.

    which in turn pisses off the American company.

    Damn straight, they're selling negative phones instead of building phones they were contracted to build!

    So who sues who?

    The guy who came up with the idiotic math, then we praise the blue print making machine that made the Americans redundant and wonder what the fuck the Asians are doing.

  2. Does anybody else find it funny... by lxs · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...that a US company can't sell their product in the US because of an import ban on that product?