A sign displays the Apple logo outside of the company's headquarters in Cupertino, Calif. (Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez, AP)
The Obama administration has rejected a U.S. International Trade Commission order that Apple be banned from selling certain older iPhones and iPads that the commission said violated Samsung patents.
Styled a "veto," the move is not unheard of, but it is rare. The last time a presidential veto of a product ban was invoked was 1987, the Wall Street Journal reports.
In a June 4 ruling, the commission banned the importation into the U.S. of the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 3G and iPad 2 3G distributed by AT&T. The move effectively banned the sale of those items in the U.S. that were designed to work with AT&T service, Yahoo News has reported.
U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman notified the Washington-based commission in a letter Saturday that he was acting at President Obama's behest in vetoing the importation ban.
