Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple Inc. won a patent-infringement ruling that bans HTC Corp. from selling some of its smartphones in the US starting next year, but the Taiwanese manufacturer has hailed the ruling, saying it was better than what it had expected.

On Monday, the International Trade Commission (ITC) ordered HTC to stop importing its smartphones in to the US by April 19 next year, as they were found infringing on a patent held by Apple.