According to a US trade
panel, some Motorola smart-phones infringe on a Microsoft patent and they will
be barred from importation to the US.
US International Trade
Commission (ITC) has sent an order to President Barack Obama to
consider whether to overrun it for policy reasons.
The legal
fight at the ITC is one of dozens globally between various smartphone
makers. Google's Android system has become the top-selling smartphone operating
system, ahead of mobile systems by Apple, Microsoft, Research in
Motion and others.
The ITC order did not say which models of Motorola Mobility
smartphone were barred but Microsoft has asked for the following devices to be
stopped at the US border: the Atrix, Backflip, Bravo, Charm, Cliq, Cliq 2,
Cliq XT, Defy, Devour, Droid 2, Droid 2 Global, Droid Pro, Droid X, Droid X2,
Flipout, Flipside, Spice and the Xoom tablet.
The ITC is a popular venue for patent litigation since it has
the power to forbid the importation of products that infringe on patents.
The
case at the ITC is No. 337-744.
