Motorola seeks ban on Apple imports

published 20 August 2012

Mobile phone manufacturer Motorola Mobility is seeking a ban on the import of Apple devices to the US, claiming that some features on the tech giant's devices infringe its patents.

The company has filed a suit with the US International Trade Commission (ITC), claiming Apple has infringed seven of its patents, including email notification, the Siri voice recognition programme, phone/video players and location reminders.

This is the second patent infringement case Motorola Mobility, which was recently acquired by Google, has filed against Apple. A ruling expected on the first case on 24 August and, if made in Motorola's favour, it could see a US import ban imposed on the iPhone. However, the second suit goes even further, encompassing the iPad and Mac computers as well.

In a statement issued to IT Pro, Motorola said: "We would like to settle these patent matters, but Apple's unwillingness to work out a license leaves us little choice but to defend ourselves and our engineers' innovations."

Apple had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.

The latest suit is just one of many patent infringement cases currently making their way through court. Apple is

Jane McCallion is Managing Editor of ITPro and ChannelPro, specializing in data centers, enterprise IT infrastructure, and cybersecurity. Before becoming Managing Editor, she held the role of Deputy Editor and, prior to that, Features Editor, managing a pool of freelance and internal writers, while continuing to specialize in enterprise IT infrastructure, and business strategy.

Prior to joining ITPro, Jane was a freelance business journalist writing as both Jane McCallion and Jane Bordenave for titles such as European CEO, World Finance, and Business Excellence Magazine.