Apple has filed a request with the U.S. International Trade Commission on Monday, requesting the body to stay an import ban on some older model iPhones and iPads while a court considers an appeal of the ban.
Apple’s motion, which comes less than four weeks before the sales ban is scheduled to into effect on August 5, says the ban would “sweep away an entire segment of Apple’s product offerings” and negatively impact the company’s partner carriers.
The motion claims Apple’s wireless carrier partners will lose revenue from the sales of GSM versions of the iPhone 4, and the iPad 2 with cellular. This would also hinder the company’s efforts to grab new entry-level customers. The 8GB iPhone 4 is Apple’s “free-on-contract” device, which has proven useful in luring a wider range of consumers into the Apple ecosystem.
The ITC’s ban was a result of the six-member commission determining that Apple had infringed on certain 3G patents held by Samsung. The ban affects GSM versions of the iPhone 4, 3GS and 3G, as well as cellular-capable versions of the iPad 2 and original iPad.
Apple argues that an appeal of the ban has already been filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and states that it believes the outcome of that appeal will be an invalidation of the Samsung patents used in the ban.
