Apple May Face Import Ban over 4G LTE Use

  • HTC claims two patents on 4G used by Apple
  • Samsung's legal claim follows suit
  • 4G is tent imes faster than HSPA+ 
This week Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 5, but the company may face a few legal setbacks over its use of 4G technologies.

  • HTC claims two patents on 4G used by Apple
  • Samsung's legal claim follows suit
  • 4G is tent imes faster than HSPA+ 
This week Apple is expected to announce the iPhone 5, but the company may face a few legal setbacks over its use of 4G technologies. HTC is hinted at a patent rights claim victory while Samsung is reportedly fast-tracking a legal claim against the company.
 
HTC may have earned points to its patent claim after a U.S. trade judge said that Apple will face difficulty proving that the Taiwanese smartphone maker’s patent to the faster wireless connectivity technology is invalid.   
 
4G LTE technology is one of the most sought after innovation in wireless connectivity by most tech companies because it renders faster connectivity than the current 3G technology. HSPA+ is speedier than 3G but with 4G, users will enjoy speed that is 10 times as fast.
 
A Bloomberg report cited Judge Thomas Pender of the U.S. International Trade Commission who viewed that it will be difficult on Apple’s part to invalidate the patent owned by HTC. The outcome of this legal fight will lead to the import ban of Apple devices using 4G such as its iPad with retina display and the iPhone 5. HTC may push for settlement at the cost of Apple paying huge sums of cash just so it can use the technology. 
 
Apple was accused to have infringed on the two HTC patents relative to faster fourth-generation wireless networking. The current iPad with 4G is now available in the US but its release in other nations, such as the UK and Australia, garnered negative publicity for claiming 4G capabilities but could not connect to local networks in their regions. 
 
Samsung, meanwhile, is also said to be targeting the iPhone 5’s expected debut with 4G, following reports that it is likely impossible for Apple to invalidate HTC’s patent rights claims relating to 4G. The Korean company is banking on the long-term evolution (LTE) connectivity patents that it own, and Apple is likely adding, to its next-generation smartphone.