A US appeals court on Wednesday ruled in favor of Apple, HTC and ZTE that imports of their devices infringed wireless technology patents by INVT. The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has reportedly held that smartphones and other devices by Apple, HTC and ZTE do not infringe INVT’s rights in two patents related to wireless communications originally owned by Panasonic. The patent-holding company previously sought an import ban on the allegedly infringing devices into the US.
According to a Report Via Reuters, a three-judge Federal Circuit panel ruled that Apple, HTC and ZTE devices do not infringe INVT’s patents related to wireless technology.
“The companies’ smartphones, smartwatches, tablets and other LTE-enabled devices do not infringe INVT’s rights in two patents originally owned by Panasonic,” the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said in the report.
Since the devices work differently than those described in the patent, the court said they are not capable of receiving and manipulating data signals like INVT’s patented technology.
In 2018, INVT filed a complaint with the US International Trade Commission against Apple, HTC and ZTE, alleging that their devices were infringing on their patents that conform to LTE wireless standards. It called for a ban on the importation of the allegedly infringing devices. The commission gave a decision for device makers in 2020.
Tech companies can continue to import and sell their smartphones and other devices in the U.S. after the appeals court confirmed that the patents were not infringed, the report said.
