Michael Froman, the US trade representative who announced the import ban would not take effect, said the decision was in line with the government's recent policy statement on ensuring standards-essential patents are not used to distort market competition. He said the decision was taken in part due to the "effect on competitive conditions in the US economy and the effect on US consumers" an import ban would cause. He noted that patentholders may still pursue protection of their rights in the courts.
Kristin Huguet, an Apple spokeswoman, told the New York Times: "We applaud the administration for standing up for innovation in this landmark case." She added, "Samsung was wrong to abuse the patent system in this way."
Samsung said that it was disappointed, adding, "The ITC's decision correctly recognized that Samsung has been negotiating in good faith and that Apple remains unwilling to take a license".
Samsung also announced that it filed in mid-July a court appeal against the original ITC ruling, which found that Apple infringed only one patent, whereas Samsung claimed violations of four of its patents. A Samsung spokesman told the Financial Times that the US Court of Appeal in Washington had scheduled an oral hearing on the case for Q1 2014.
