The Obama administration demonstrated the spirit of commercial protectionism on Tuesday, when it upheld a decision to ban some Samsung mobile technology products due to the company’s violation of patents owned by rival (and US-based) Apple.
US Trade Representative Michael Froman rejected a Samsung effort to overturn a ruling by the US International Trade Commission to ban some older model Samsung smartphones and tablets. The ITC in August had ruled that Samsung had infringed two Apple patents related to touchscreen actions and headphone jack plug-ins.
VOR’s Carmen Russell-Sluchansky discussed the implications of Froman’s step with Professor Jorge Contreras of theWashington College of Law at American University, where he specializes in intellectual property.
