A US trade panel judge has ruled that Apple did not violate any of five Nokia patents, Reuters reported. In its complaint, Nokia asked the trade panel to bar the importation of Apple devices that infringe Nokia patents, citing in particular the iPhone 3GS mobile phone and iPod Nano portable music player. The International Trade Commission (ITC) judge said in his initial determination that Apple did not violate the Nokia patents. The complaint was filed in December 2009. The next step will be for the entire commission to either uphold or throw out Gildea's decision. The target date for that decision is August 1, 2011. In a separate decision on 25 March, the ITC said it would review a judge's ruling that Research in Motion (RIM) and Apple did not infringe on Eastman Kodak patented technology. That final decision is expected in May. Nokia said it was taking a wait-and-see attitude toward the ITC ruling in its fight with Apple. "While Nokia does not agree with today's initial determination that there has been no violation, we'll wait to see the full details of the ruling before we decide on any next steps," a spokesman said. The two companies are suing each other over patent issues in the US and Europe. The ITC can bar the import of infringing devices. Companion suits are often filed in US district court to win financial damages. In addition to the iPhone 3GS mobile phone and iPod, the complaint was directed at other iPhones, the iPod Touch, and iPod Classic portable music players, as well as the iMac, Mac Mini, Mac Pro, Mac Book, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air computers.
