In early August, Apple won a case at the
US International Trade Commission (ITC)
that found Samsung had infringed two
patents covering mobile technology.
That victory called for an import ban on
some Samsung products but this was
postponed pending an appeal.
A US official overseeing the patent row has
now rejected Samsung's appeal, meaning
the ban will come into force.
"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," said US trade representative Michael
Froman.
The patents in dispute cover detecting
fingers on a touchscreen and the workings
of the audio jack on smartphones and
tablets. In August, Samsung was cleared of
violating four other patented technologies.
So far, it is not clear which products will
be banned from sale. In its appeal,
Samsung said it had, for newer products,
developed its own technologies that did
not draw on Apple's patented ideas. The
ITC has already approved the workarounds
for the disputed technologies.
In August, US President Barack Obama
overturned another ITC ruling that called
for a ban on Apple products. He issued
the first presidential veto for 26 years on
an ITC matter when he decided to stop the
ban on older iPhones and iPads.
Apple and Samsung have regularly clashed
in court over the past few years and have
fought patent battles across 10 countries.