Following a recent jury decision that Apple infringed on Qualcomm patents and must pay $31 million in damages, another decision against Apple has come out.
A U.S. International Trade Commission judge has ruled that Apple infringed on a Qualcomm patent related to a power-saving feature. Judge MaryJoan McNamara adds that she will recommend an import ban on some iPhone models. These findings are subject to review by the full ITC before a ban will actually be put into effect, though.
This is the latest in a line of legal blows that Apple has been dealt as a result of Qualcomm lawsuits. Last year, Qualcomm won a sales ban of some iPhone models in China, but Apple updated those models to get around the ban. Qualcomm also won a ban on the sale of select iPhone models in Germany, and Apple was forced to remove those devices from its online and physical stores.
“We are pleased that today ITC Judge McNamara found that Apple-designed processors infringe our ‘674 patent and will be recommending an import ban and cease and desist order to the Commission,” said Don Rosenberg, Qualcomm's executive vice president and general counsel. “The innovations we contribute to the iPhone extend well beyond a single component and Judge McNamara’s decision, along with recent infringement rulings in other U.S. and foreign courts, affirm the value of our technologies.”
UPDATE: In a separate case, the U.S. ITC has ruled that Qualcomm's patents were invalid and so Apple's iPhones couldn't be banned. A judge ruled last year that Apple had infringed upon one Qualcomm patent, but now that doesn't matter as the ITC has deemed that Qualcomm patent invalid following "clear and convincing evidence" from Apple.