The quasi-judicial International Trade Commission said it issued a "limited exclusion order" for certain devices made by Apple, in a victory for the South Korean firm after a huge loss in a court battle with its US rival last year. But the victory could be largely symbolic because the ban covers devices that are no longer actively sold in the US market -- the AT&T iPhone 4 and iPhone 3 and 3GS, as well as the iPad 3G and iPad 2 3G, also sold by AT&T.u00a0

The ITC ruling is a final order but may be appealed in the US Court of Appeals or reversed by presidential order. "We believe the ITC's final determination has confirmed Apple's history of free-riding on Samsung's technological innovations," a Samsung statement said.