Samsung Electronics on Wednesday maintained its silence over a favorable ruling from the U.S. trade agency banning the sale of several iPhone and iPad models for infringing a Samsung patent.

The ruling was deemed as symbolic more than anything else, as if upheld, it would be an indication that some of Apple’s technology had been copied from its top rival, Samsung.

The Korean company is currently the world’s largest maker of smartphones in a recent reverse of rankings, with Apple next in line.

Samsung officials said they were not authorized to comment but did not appear to be displeased with the results.

“Samsung did score a point, but the last thing Samsung wants right now is to stir up anti-Samsung sentiment in the U.S., so it’s keeping a ‘keep mum or else’ kind of stance at Samsung headquarters,” said one industry expert who declined to be identified, referring to the delicacy of the issue.

She also agreed with the dominant opinion on the ruling, which is that it was largely a gesture and void of any real substance.

“The models are all outdated and sales for them are hardly stellar, so it would be difficult to see the ruling as anything more,” she said.

Also, given that Samsung has one of the most powerful legal teams in the industry and possibly the country, they most likely anticipated the ruling, industry watchers said.

This particular order by the U.S. International Trade Commission would block the sales of several older devices that work on AT&T Wireless’ network, including the iPhone 4, the iPhone 3GS and the iPad 2 3G.

However, sales of the latest iPhone 5 and the fourth-generation iPad will not be affected.

Unless U.S. President Barack Obama issues a veto, the ruling will take effect in 60 days. Apple said it will appeal the decision to federal courts.

“We are disappointed that the commission has overturned an earlier ruling and we plan to appeal,” Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet said in a statement.

The legal battle between the world’s top two smartphone makers go back to 2011 when each company filed lawsuits at the ITC. The initiation, meanwhile, was by Apple, which was out to paint Samsung as a copycat of its iPhone and iPad designs.

Samsung had appeared to be in the hot seat after a U.S. court ruled that Samsung had infringed Apple’s designs and should pay for $1 billion in damages back in August last year.


By Kim Ji-hyun
(jemmie@heraldcorp.com)