Apple has won a victory against HTC in its ongoing patent battle.
The dispute related to patents held by S3 Graphics, which was recently bought by HTC - mainly for its portfolio of the patents that are an increasingly sought after currency in the tech industry.
But the US International Trade Commission dismissed accusations that Apple had used the S3 technology in its handsets, casting doubt over the wisdom of the acquisition by HTC.
The commission reversed an earlier preliminary ruling that some Apple products had violated S3 patents involving texture compression used in applications such as 3D games.
The panel said it was terminating the investigation because it found "no violation".
The ruling echoed an earlier patent victory for Apple over HTC. Apple is also involved in patent disputes with Samsung.
