Apple (AAPL) lawyers are in for quite a day Friday. There will be developments in three major legal disputes for the company, with potentially profound effects on its smartphone and e-books businesses. Here’s a rundown:
The International Trade Commission: The trade commission says it will issue a decision at 5 p.m. on Friday as to whether Samsung’s (005930:KS) mobile devices violate Apple patents. The decision will be the latest in a seemingly unending series of battles between the two companies over intellectual property. If the commission rules in Apple’s favor, Samsung could be prohibited from importing some of its products to the U.S.
Apple Gets Its Day in Courts
The outcome will be interesting not just for its impact on Apple and Samsung. Over the weekend the Obama administration vetoed a recent commission ruling (PDF) that would have kept Apple from importing certain models of its iPhones, the first import ban of its kind since the Reagan administration. The commission said that because the patents in question were so-called standard essential patents, meaning they’re related to the basic functions of a device, Samsung was required to license them to Apple under reasonable terms. The administration argued that an import ban shouldn’t be the result of the companies failing to reach a licensing agreement.
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