Obama administration backs ban on some Samsung devices

The Obama administration today upheld a decision to ban some Samsung mobile technology products due to the company's violation of patents owned by rival Apple.
US Trade Representative Michael Froman rejected a Samsung effort to overturn the August ruling by the US International Trade Commission to ban some older model Samsung smartphones and tablets for the patent infringements.
"After carefully weighing policy considerations, including the impact on consumers and competition, advice from agencies and information from interested parties, I have decided to allow the Commission's determination. . . To become final," Froman said in a statement.
The ITC in August ruled that Samsung had infringed two Apple patents -- numbers 949 and 501, dealing with touchscreen actions and headphone jack plug-ins -- but cleared the South Korean company of charges that it had violated four more.

Froman's ruling will likely irk Samsung and its allies in the South Korean government.
In August, the USTR overturned an ITC ruling in a patent suit brought by Samsung against Apple that would have banned the sale of certain iPads and iPhones in the United States.
It was the first time the USTR has overruled the commission since 1987.