By Darrell Etherington, GigaOM
Apple on Mondaywon a formal import ban against some HTC Android handsets in theU.S. from the International Trade Commission. The ITC decisionrelates to HTC devices that links data in documents like email toother applications, for example, a phone number that when tappedmakes a call using the phone’s dialer.The ban narrowly applies only to devices that implement thisfeature as described by a “data tapping patent” held byApple, according to FOSSPatents’ Florian Mueller. Should HTC be able to workaround or disable this feature in its Android devices, it’llbe able to once again ship and sell those handsets in the U.S.market.Samsung likewise made changes to certain features of the GalaxyTab 10.1N in Germany in order to sidestep a ruling against itstablet in that country, so it’s very possible HTC will find aworkaround before the import ban is scheduled to take effect onApril 19, 2012. But such a workaround could chip away atAndroid’s usability and create a more frustrating experiencefor users.Still, it’s a victory for Apple, and ammunition thecompany can add to itsaarmoryain its ongoing war againstGoogle’s mobile operating system and the devices that run it.As Mueller points out, should Apple be able to achieve the samekind of success with other system-level Android elements, it couldbegin to make a serious dent in Android’s ability to win overusers.Related research and analysis from GigaOM Pro:Subscriber content. Signup for a free trial.
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