Few IPhones or Intel Chips Banned When Patent Owners Ask
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VirnetX Holding Corp. dropped its bid to get a U.S. trade panel to ban imports of the iPhone in March, after winning a $368 million jury verdict over Apple Inc.’s use of patented networking technology without permission.
A U.S. appeals court in January made clear patent owners such as VirnetX that don’t make products can seek to halt imports of foreign-made items. That they have that right has brought Apple together with Google Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co, its opponents in smartphone patent fights around the world, to lobby Congress to stop companies like VirnetX from using the threat of trade cases to force legal settlements or win royalties.