The U.S. International Trade Commission has banned Qualcomm from importing cellphone chips that infringe on a patent held by rival Broadcom. The chip in question, which is found in almost 80% of Verizon phones, uses a patented process to save power in the absence of cell coverage.

Cellphones models already available in the U.S. would be unaffected, though Qualcomm would be banned from importing new infringing models. If upheld, the ruling has the potential to delay the introduction of new cellphone models from Kyocera, LG, Motorola, and Samsung destined for the CDMA networks used by Verizon and Sprint. The ban will take effect in sixty days, unless vetoed by President Bush. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER

iPhone may become king in cellphone chip ban [AppleInsider]

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