Microsoft wins US import ban on Motorola smartphones

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The US International Trade Commission has ruled that some of Motorola's Android smartphones violate a patent from Microsoft. That means those phones can be banned from being imported into the US.

Microsoft has won a major battle in its patent war against Motorola. The US International Trade Commission ruled today that some of Motorola's Android-based smartphones violate one of Microsoft's patents. The specific patent refers to "generating meeting requests” from a mobile product. As a result, the ITC ruled that all of Motorola's Android smartphones that are in violation of that patent are now subject to a decision that would prohibit "the unlicensed entry for consumption of mobile devices" in the US.

The ruling is still subject to a 60 day review by President Barack Obama who can reverse the ITC's ruling.

In a statement sent to Ars Technica, Motorola stated:

Although we are disappointed by the Commission’s ruling that certain Motorola Mobility products violated one patent, we look forward to reading the full opinion to understand its reasoning. Motorola Mobility will not experience any impact in the near term, as the Commission's ruling is subject to a $0.33/per unit bond during the 60 day Presidential review period. We will explore all options including appeal.

Bloomberg Businessweek got a statement from Microsoft, which said, "We hope that now Motorola will be willing to join the vast majority of Android device makers selling phones in the U.S. by taking a license to our patents."

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