White House declines to stop ban on Samsung products in Apple patent case

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
The White House on Tuesday declined to intervene and prevent a ban on the sale of certain Samsung products accused of infringing on Apple patents.

Trade


Samsung was hopeful that the Obama administration would act as it did for Apple in August, when the president stopped an International Trade Commission injunction that would have barred sales of the iPhone 4. However, the White House revealed on Tuesday that, as expected, it would not intervene, according to Bloomberg.

"After carefully weighing policy considerations, including the impact on consumers and competition, advice from agencies, and information from interested parties, I have decided to allow [the ban]," U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said in a statement.

The president's veto in Apple's case was made out of concerns regarding standards essential patents (SEPs) being used to gain "undue leverage." Samsung's infringing products are not accused of violating SEPs.

The import ban set to take affect will only apply to a limited number of Samsung products. Newer models from the South Korean company have worked around the Apple patents in question, related to multi-touch input and a sensor for detecting when a headphone jack is being used.

The ITC sided with Apple in an August ruling, in which the commission set the stage for certain Samsung products to be barred from sale. With the White House declining to intervene, the ITC import ban is set to take effect.

Froman had previously said that the administration's decision would be made on the merits of the case, not geopolitical interests.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 45

    Copy THAT bitches!

  • Reply 2 of 45
    Sounds like this is more important politically than for Apple or Samsung's bottom line. Some cheers from this side saying that justice prevails and some jeers from that side saying that the treatment is unfair. Personally I'm glad that this drama doesn't tip the sides too much.
  • Reply 3 of 45
    froodfrood Posts: 771member

    Good call.  The only reason to veto this would have been to offset the prior veto in Apple's favor.  That veto basically a result of having to allow SEP patents to actually have some clout, which could have shifted the patent landscape.

     

    Hopefully this is the end of it, but with SEP patents officially defanged, I wouldn't be surprised if companies like Samsung and Google try to file their 5g variants of wireless technology as proprietary technologies instead of including them as SEPs

  • Reply 4 of 45
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    frood wrote: »
    Good call.  The only reason to veto this would have been to offset the prior veto in Apple's favor.  That veto basically a result of having to allow SEP patents to actually have some clout, which could have shifted the patent landscape.

    Hopefully this is the end of it, but with SEP patents officially defanged, I wouldn't be surprised if companies like Samsung and Google try to file their 5g variants of wireless technology as proprietary technologies instead of including them as SEPs

    That's not likely to happen.

    The carriers want SEPs - there's no way that a carrier can support a bunch of different proprietary technologies. Handset manufacturers want SEPs - they don't want to support a zillion proprietary technologies, either.

    As long as there's a technology available that will do the job where the IP owner is willing to make it SEP, that will be the choice. And some companies (Qualcomm, for example) like SEPs and have built their business model around them, so I don't see it changing.
  • Reply 5 of 45
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Frood View Post

     

    Good call.  The only reason to veto this would have been to offset the prior veto in Apple's favor.  That veto basically a result of having to allow SEP patents to actually have some clout, which could have shifted the patent landscape.

     

    Hopefully this is the end of it, but with SEP patents officially defanged, I wouldn't be surprised if companies like Samsung and Google try to file their 5g variants of wireless technology as proprietary technologies instead of including them as SEPs


     

    Hardly. What's more likely is if multiple companies have 5G technology then the SSO's will pick IP from companies who don't have a pattern of SEP abuse (like Samsung).

     

    I think Samsung shot themselves in the foot over their dispute with Apple. They were so eager to get a ban that they forgot how their actions might affect other areas of business later on.

     

    I bet 5G will be comprised of IP from Cisco, Ericsson, Nokia and Qualcomm with little to no input from Samsung.

  • Reply 6 of 45
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Ursadorable View Post

     

    Copy THAT bitches!


     

    You did same comment on MacRumors. :)

  • Reply 7 of 45
    One thing the White House has done good today.
  • Reply 8 of 45
    froodfrood Posts: 771member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post





    That's not likely to happen.



    The carriers want SEPs - there's no way that a carrier can support a bunch of different proprietary technologies. Handset manufacturers want SEPs - they don't want to support a zillion proprietary technologies, either.



    As long as there's a technology available that will do the job where the IP owner is willing to make it SEP, that will be the choice. And some companies (Qualcomm, for example) like SEPs and have built their business model around them, so I don't see it changing.

     

     

    I don't see them bypassing it, just adding to it.  Samsung adds a proprietary variant to its phones as an 'add-on' to the 5g standard.  Phones work with 'standard' 5g carriers.  Phone is 4x faster if you choose a carrier that has their technology variant.  Android fans will be lining up to switch to that carrier, until they all supply it- at which point Apple will have to develop its own faster network.  It will just add one more layer to the competition.  Its not that far fetched.  Its was already widely reported that Steve Jobs had wanted to do this- and it makes a lot of sense.  Imagine of Apple TV has just been smoke an mirrors and Apple has really developed a wireless tech that is 5x faster than current LTE.  Apple:  "Hey carriers, adopt our technology or lose your Apple users...."   Apple, now with 5x the speed of those stone age Android phones!

     

    Samsung/Android have enough global market share that they could pull off essentially being their own standard as well, and already openly have zippy wireless technologies in the works.

     

    Of course Qualcomm likes the current setup.  They get to give away other peoples patents for relative peanuts- by law.  Its the 'other people' that might rethink whether pursuing SEPs are worthwhile.

  • Reply 9 of 45

    Samsung fools itself by shouting here and there.  

    Now, infront of president.  

     

    Samsung feels so inferior.

     

    Its like...

    when you call a mad person MAD... he shouts back MADLY that "ME? ME? I am not MAD."  Thats enough to prove that he is mad.  Same case with Samsung. :) :)

  • Reply 10 of 45
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Chandra69 View Post

     
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Ursadorable View Post

     

    Copy THAT bitches!


     

    You did same comment on MacRumors. :)


     

    Its OK to copy yourself. ;-)

  • Reply 11 of 45
    dasanman69dasanman69 Posts: 13,002member
    daphreev wrote: »
    One thing the White House has done good today.

    The problem now is there's no one around to enforce it.
  • Reply 12 of 45
    pazuzupazuzu Posts: 1,728member
    Obummer can't afford to have half the country dislike him even more.
  • Reply 13 of 45
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    frood wrote: »

    I don't see them bypassing it, just adding to it.  Samsung adds a proprietary variant to its phones as an 'add-on' to the 5g standard.  Phones work with 'standard' 5g carriers.  Phone is 4x faster if you choose a carrier that has their technology variant.  Android fans will be lining up to switch to that carrier, until they all supply it- at which point Apple will have to develop its own faster network.  It will just add one more layer to the competition.  Its not that far fetched.  Its was already widely reported that Steve Jobs had wanted to do this- and it makes a lot of sense.  Imagine of Apple TV has just been smoke an mirrors and Apple has really developed a wireless tech that is 5x faster than current LTE.  Apple:  "Hey carriers, adopt our technology or lose your Apple users...."   Apple, now with 5x the speed of those stone age Android phones!

    It's not going to happen. Carriers won't buy it - especially from an Android device. Networks are already strained to the breaking point and carriers are resisting investment. I don't see anyone being able to bring enough new accounts to get them to upgrade - especially since the phones would work even without supporting the proprietary add-on.

    If carriers were interested in doing this, why is there only one carrier who supports visual voice mail? And that doesn't even require them to upgrade their networks.
  • Reply 14 of 45
    reydnreydn Posts: 73member
    pazuzu wrote: »
    Obummer can't afford to have half the country dislike him even more.
    Now, if he could figure out how to reach across the aisle, broker a deal, and learn the meaning of compromise ...
  • Reply 15 of 45
    fracfrac Posts: 480member
    frood wrote: »
    Good call.  The only reason to veto this would have been to offset the prior veto in Apple's favor.  That veto basically a result of having to allow SEP patents to actually have some clout, which could have shifted the patent landscape.

    Hopefully this is the end of it, but with SEP patents officially defanged, I wouldn't be surprised if companies like Samsung and Google try to file their 5g variants of wireless technology as proprietary technologies instead of including them as SEPs

    Then let them...at which point the IP becomes worthless and useless in that competing technology will be included in the standard. They will simply be bypassed and they will have to pay extra to build a phone to the new standard.
  • Reply 16 of 45
    fracfrac Posts: 480member
    reydn wrote: »
    Now, if he could figure out how to reach across the aisle, broker a deal, and learn the meaning of compromise ...

    From the other side of the pond....it would be a start if both sides stopped the Samsung style shenanigans of playing to the gallery. Nobody looks good when brinkmanship is used to hammer home ideology.
  • Reply 17 of 45
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by reydn View Post





    Now, if he could figure out how to reach across the aisle, broker a deal, and learn the meaning of compromise ...

     

    Because they can't win the presidency, Republicans resort to holding the country hostage and complain when the Government says they don't negotiate with hostage takers. Meanwhile the economy (and as a result, the world economy) gets dragged into the gutter :(

  • Reply 18 of 45
    bigmac2bigmac2 Posts: 639member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Frood View Post

     

     

     

    I don't see them bypassing it, just adding to it.  Samsung adds a proprietary variant to its phones as an 'add-on' to the 5g standard.  Phones work with 'standard' 5g carriers.  Phone is 4x faster if you choose a carrier that has their technology variant.  Android fans will be lining up to switch to that carrier, until they all supply it- at which point Apple will have to develop its own faster network.  It will just add one more layer to the competition.  Its not that far fetched.  Its was already widely reported that Steve Jobs had wanted to do this- and it makes a lot of sense.  Imagine of Apple TV has just been smoke an mirrors and Apple has really developed a wireless tech that is 5x faster than current LTE.  Apple:  "Hey carriers, adopt our technology or lose your Apple users...."   Apple, now with 5x the speed of those stone age Android phones!

     

    Samsung/Android have enough global market share that they could pull off essentially being their own standard as well, and already openly have zippy wireless technologies in the works.

     

    Of course Qualcomm likes the current setup.  They get to give away other peoples patents for relative peanuts- by law.  Its the 'other people' that might rethink whether pursuing SEPs are worthwhile.


     

    I wonder when people will realize having 4x the broadband speed on a device meant for checking email, browsing and occasionally watching 300ko/sec youtube video is more than overkill for a phone.  I actually have better bandwidth on my LTE iPhone than our office ADSL business internet access shared by 20 computers and 2 servers.

  • Reply 19 of 45
    thomprthompr Posts: 1,521member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Frood View Post

     

     

     

    ...  Phone is 4x faster if you choose a carrier that has their technology variant...

     


    Which would be NONE of the carriers.  They are moving away from the proprietary stuff and towards a standardized wireless technology (LTE).  Even China Mobile, ever the renegade, is heading towards a standard.

     

    Apparently the carriers no longer view differentiation in wireless technology to be worth the added time, money, and effort.  Your concept is outdated and overcome by events.  Isn't going to happen anymore.

     

    Thompson

  • Reply 20 of 45
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by daphreev View Post



    One thing the White House has done good today.

     

    Obama´s only socialist veneer is nationalism.

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