While it’s nothing akin to a death knell, last Friday’s preliminary ruling by the International Trade Commission (ITC) against HTC ^[1] in yet another patent infringement case brought by Apple ^[2], is having serious reverberations in the tech industry. The ITC ruled last Friday that HTC has infringed on two Apple patents.

And while the decision is bad enough, it could spell even worse news for Google ^[3]. The two patents, it turns out, are part of the Android architecture. According to Gizmodo’s Jack Loftus, this means that several Android handsets could be “barred from sale within the U.S.” starting in December, which is when the final decision will be made.

If the ITC’s decision holds, Google will have a difficult time developing a fix or workaround to the violation. HTC, in the meantime, is likely to appeal the decision.

Read more at Gizmodo ^[4].