Microsoft, Intel, Oracle support Apple against impending iPhone 4 ban

With the International Trade Commission gearing up for a ban on iPhone 4, a number of rival corporate stakeholders have come together to defend their common turf.

Business Software Alliance (BSA), which represents Microsoft, Intel and Oracle has come out in defense of Apple arguing that the use of standard essential patents should not be allowed, except under unusual circumstances, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.

In a June ruling, the ITC said the AT&T versions of Apple's iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G all infringe on patents owned by Samsung, and that the devices must be banned from sale by early August.

Filing for a stay agaqinst the ruling, Apple has argued that the ban would "sweep away an entire segment of Apple's product offerings" and negatively impact its carrier partners.

The chorus has also been joined by AT&T, which was cited in Apple's legal papers as saying that the ITC's ban, set to go into effect 4 August, was "inconsistent with the president's goal of ubiquitous broadband deployment."

In an open letter, Verizon also appealed to president Barack Obama last week, calling for the administration's intervention in Apple vs Samsung with a view to preventing the ban. The company's support comes despite of the fact that the ban would only affect the iPhone 4 variant that ran on AT&T and T-Mobile networks.

The last instance of presidential intervention in an ITC ban was in 1987. The ruling that has gone against Apple has a number of officials calling for something to be done.

The report yesterday cited people familiar with the matter as saying that antitrust officials from the justice department and the Federal Trade Commission were also weighing in on the ruling.

Meanwhile, Apple stands accused by a labour rights group in China of misconduct, including withholding employees' pay and environmental violations.

In a report released yesterday, China Labour Watch said it came across violations of the law and of Apple's pledges about working conditions at facilities operated by Pegatron Corporation, a Taiwanese company.

In a statement, Apple reiterated its commitment to providing safe and fair working conditions and said it would investigate the claims. Pegatron also promised to investigate in a separate statement.

According to Apple, an investigator had confirmed one claim in the report - that Pegatron was holding the identity cards of some workers - and ordered the company to stop.