US clears Microsoft of patent infringement

Microsoft Corp avoided a potentially costly setback to its mobile phone business on Friday as the US International Trade Commission declined to block the import of its devices in a longstanding patent dispute.

The decision rejected a ruling in April by a US trade judge who found that Microsoft had infringed two InterDigital Inc wireless patents, and recommended an import ban.

The commission's action is good news for Microsoft, which has been struggling to compete with Apple Inc and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd devices. The Redmond, Washington-based company has captured just 3 percent of the smartphone market in the United States and globally, according to recent estimates.