An employee shows an Apple's iPhone 4s (L) and a Samsung's Galaxy S3 at a mobile phone shop in Seoul on August 27, 2012. The US International Trade Commission on Wednesday ordered a review of a ruling that Samsung violated Apple patents for smartphones and tablet computers.

The US International Trade Commission on Wednesday ordered review of a ruling that Samsung violated Apple patents for smartphones and tablet computers.

Apple filed a complaint with the quasi-official federal agency in 2011, accusing Samsung of and asking that infringing devices be barred from the US market.

An ITC judge late last year issued a tentative ruling dismissing some of the claims but agreeing with Apple regarding four patents. Both Apple and Samsung asked that the decision be given a second look.

The ITC directed the administrative law judge to review the entire ruling, according to a document filed in the case Wednesday by acting commission secretary Lisa Barton.

South Korean consumer electronics titan Samsung and California-based Apple, maker of iPhones and , have been battling in legal venues around the world over patents for gadgets competing in the booming mobile market.