宏達電將獲准繼續向美國出口最新款手機

HTC will be allowed to continue exporting its newest phone to the US in spite of an attempt by Apple to keep some of its handsets out of the country during a long-running patent dispute between the two groups.

宏達電(HTC)將獲准繼續向美國出口其最新款手機，儘管蘋果(Apple)企圖阻止宏達電的某些手機進入美國。這兩家集團深陷一場曠日持久的專利糾紛。

The US International Trade Commission will continue to investigate whether some of the Taiwanese group's phones are violating an Apple-owned patent but the US group's unsuccessful attempt to immediately halt imports of the phones represents a small victory for HTC, according to analysts.

美國國際貿易委員會(ITC)將繼續調查宏達電這家臺灣集團的某些手機是否侵犯了蘋果擁有的一項專利，但分析師們表示，蘋果未能即刻阻止宏達電手機的進口，代表着後者取得了一場小小的勝利。

HTC's sales have been slipping, and any delay in the US to the launch of its latest models would have brought them into more direct competition with new phones expected from Samsung and Apple this year.

近期宏達電的銷售有所下滑，其最新款手機若被迫在美國市場推遲銷售，可能會使其面對三星(Samsung)和蘋果預計將在今年推出的新款手機的更直接競爭。

Technology companies are increasingly turning to courts to halt sales or force redesigns of competitors' devices, alleging patent infringements. Patent fights between Apple and groups including HTC and Samsung, which make handsets using Google's rival Android operating system, are particularly fierce.

如今，科技公司日趨以專利侵權爲由請求法庭阻止競爭對手設備的銷售，或迫使其修改設計。蘋果與宏達電和三星等生產谷歌(Google)安卓(Android)系統手機的製造商之間的專利之爭尤其激烈。

Android is the most popular operating system for smartphones, while Apple's iPhone system trails in second place, according to data from ComScore.

ComScore的數據顯示，安卓是目前人氣最高的智能手機操作系統，蘋果iPhone的操作系統排在第二位。

The ferocity of the courtroom fights is creating "a lot of uncertainty" for companies and investors, said CK Cheng, an analyst with CLSA in Taipei. "At least for now, lots of people are talking about how it's a flawed patent system in the US but unfortunately that's the reality there," said Mr Cheng.

里昂證券(CLSA)常駐臺北的分析師鄭兆剛(CK Cheng)表示，法庭內的激烈交鋒正給企業和投資者帶來“大量不確定性”。鄭兆剛表示：“至少就目前而言，很多人都在談論美國的專利制度如何存在缺陷，而不幸的是，那裏的現實情況正是如此。”

In its case against HTC, Apple argued that HTC's phones were continuing to violate a previous order that HTC remodel parts of the phones' software to avoid infringing an Apple patent.

蘋果在對宏達電提起的訴訟中主張，宏達電的手機仍在違反此前的一項命令，該命令要求宏達電改造相關手機的軟件，以避免侵犯蘋果的一項專利。

Apple had asked the trade commission to keep HTC's phones, including its new flagship One X model, out of the US. The trade commission declined on the grounds that it could not yet determine whether or not the phones complied with the prior order. Some HTC phones were earlier this year held up by US customs due to the ongoing fight with Apple.

蘋果此前請求ITC禁止宏達電的手機（包括其新款旗艦產品One X手機）進入美國。但ITC拒絕了這一請求，理由是它尚未確定相關手機是否遵守了此前的命令。與蘋果之間持續的法律戰，曾在今年早些時候導致宏達電的某些手機被美國海關扣押。

In late May, HTC said its shipments had been cleared after customs determined they were not violating the Californian company's patent. HTC still faces additional disputes over intellectual property in addition to the ongoing investigation into whether HTC is still violating Apple's patent. Nokia last month launched cases against HTC and BlackBerry maker RIM.

5月下旬，宏達電錶示，其發運的手機已經清關，因爲美國海關已確定它們並未侵犯總部位於加州的蘋果的專利。除了針對宏達電是否仍在侵犯蘋果專利的調查外，宏達電還面臨着其他知識產權糾紛。諾基亞(Nokia)上月對宏達電和黑莓(BlackBerry)的製造商RIM提起訴訟。