HTC said Tuesday that its One X and Evo 4G LTE Android smartphones have finished the review process in U.S. customs and are being released into the the country, The Verge reports.
Earlier this month, both phone models were delayed in customs for possibly infringing on Apple’s #5,946,647 patent. The patent covers the ability to convert a phone number into a link that can launch a phone’s dialer. The delay was the result of a December International Trade Commission ruling that ordered a ban on the importation of any devices that infringe on the aforementioned patent.
Now U.S. customs has cleared both devices for entry into America and said the phones are in compliance with the ITC’s ruling.
HTC’s official statement reads:
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HTC has completed the review process with US Customs and HTC devices have been released, as they are in compliance with the ITC’s ruling. Future shipments should continue to enter the US and we are confident that we will soon be able to meet the demand for our products.
Shortly after the delay was announced, reports surfaced that HTC built custom versions of Android for each phone to act as a workaround for the patent infringement. It’s unclear if that move helped the phones make it through customs, or if the customs agency determined that the phones never violated the patent in the first place.
The vague language of HTC’s statement doesn’t give any specific clues on when the One X will be available for AT&T. The phone is currently listed as out of stock on AT&T’s website.
HTC One X photo: Sean Ludwig/VentureBeat
