[josteink]

Samsung demanded a fee equal to 2.5% of the cost of the phone. From everyone, including Apple. Apple decided this was "unreasonable" for them, demanded special treatment and refused to pay.

The ITC concluded Apple was not following the rules and not playing fairly and thus initiated the ban.

And now the administration overturns the court's decision on a whim. Keep in mind this is the same legal playground which fined Samsung 1 billion dollars for having pinch to zoom on a phone.

It's very hard to see this is anything but unfair market manipulation.

[jdrobins2000]

2.4%. And please cite your source that says it applied to every other licensee. My reading of the commission document indicates that all other license agreements Samsung made for this patent involved multiple SEPs from each party in cross-licensing agreements. Samsung was also trying to use its SEPs as leverage to get Apple to cross-license its non-SEPs to them at a discount to Apple's proposal. Were both parties being reasonable in their demands? Honestly, I couldn't tell from the redacted document.

Samsung blatantly copied the iPhone in many many ways. Using the pinch to zoom patent is likely similar to prosecuting the mafia for tax evasion - it wasn't their most egregious offense, but it was the only one the feds could make stick.