Decision Looms in Apple, HTC Patent Dispute (AAPL, GOOG, MMI)

The US International Trade Commission is expected to issue a ruling on Wednesday in a patent dispute between Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Taiwan’s HTC Corp., a smartphone maker that uses the Android operating system from Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG).…

Published December 12, 2011, 8:06am ET · 1 min read

The US International Trade Commission is expected to issue a ruling on Wednesday in a patent dispute between Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) and Taiwan’s HTC Corp., a smartphone maker that uses the Android operating system from Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG). The expected ruling follows a decision last week in Germany in a case filed by Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. (NYSE: MMI) granting Motorola a preliminary injunction against Apple for patent infringement.

In the Apple-HTC case, Apple won a preliminary decision earlier this summer that HTC had in fact infringed two of the Cupertino company’s patents. The full commission has been reviewing the case and it is that decision that is expected to come on Wednesday.

Regardless of which company wins, the review process could go on for some time. The next level of appeal is to President Obama, and no matter what he decides, the case could then go on to a federal court.

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Paul Ausick

Paul Ausick has been writing for 247Wallst.com for more than a decade. He has written extensively on investing in the energy, defense, and technology sectors. In a previous life, he wrote technical documentation and managed a marketing communications group in Silicon Valley.

He has a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Chicago and now lives in Montana, where he fishes for trout in the summer and stays inside during the winter.

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