US: Trade panel clears Microsoft of patent infringement

Microsoft Corp avoided a potentially costly setback to its financially troubled mobile phone business on Friday as the US International Trade Commission declined to block the import of its devices in a longstanding patent dispute.

The decision rejected a ruling in April by a US trade judge who found that Microsoft had infringed two InterDigital Inc wireless patents, and recommended an import ban.

The commission’s action is good news for Microsoft, which has been struggling to compete with popular Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd devices. The Redmond, Washington-based company has captured just 3 per cent of the smartphone market in both the US and globally, according to recent estimates.

Full content: Bloomberg

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