The International Trade Commission (ITC) staff has rejected Google's public interest arguments and recommends an import ban against Samsung, according to "FOSS Patents" (http://tinyurl.com/lsbdgof).

An Administrative Law Judge had found Samsung to infringe four Apple patents (three utility patents, one design patent), the article adds. His findings are now being reviewed by the Commission, the six-member decision-making body at the top of the U.S. trade agency.

"Some of the submissions discourage an exclusion order (import ban) against Android-based Samsung devices, while many just warn against the impact of an order that, due to insufficient clarity, might lead in seizures of non-infringing Samsung products by U.S. customs officers," Florian Mueller writes for "FOSS Patents."

This is all part of the ongoing, global legal battle. Apple and Samsung have filed more than 30 lawsuits against each other across four continents. For example, Apple alleges that Samsung copied the slide-to-unlock technology of its iPhone and iPad devices.