The U.S. International Trade Commission today ruled that Motorola is violating a Microsoft patent pertaining to sending event invitations via mobile devices. As part of the ruling, the ITC banned a total of 18 devices from being imported into the country. Today’s ruling was a final judgment based on a decision made by an administrative law judge last December. The ITC said, “The appropriate form of relief in this investigation is a limited exclusion order prohibiting the unlicensed entry for consumption of mobile devices, associated software and components thereof … that are manufactured abroad by or on behalf of, or imported by or on behalf of, Motorola.” The president has 60 days to review the exclusion order.

Sprint today announced a new service that will help customers who have speech disabilities communicate with others via their wireless phone. The My Wireless STS service works via a short code that when dialed connects the speech-disabled customer with a speech-to-speech operator. The operator can then complete the call and assist with the conversation, including word-for-word translation and/or help with words that are unclear. Calls can also be initiated via email sent to the STS operator rather than dialed via the short code. The service is available 24/7 and is free to use. It doesn’t require any special equipment.

Microsoft took to its Windows Phone Blog to remind owners of Windows Phone devices that they need to upgrade to Windows Phone 7.5 Mango if they wish to continue accessing the Marketplace and downloading apps.

The United States Court for the District of Delaware today ordered high-ranking company officials with decision-making power from both Apple and HTC to meet in Delaware to discuss a potential settlement to the patent litigation between the companies. Apple won a U.S. International Trade Commission exclusion order over HTC in late 2011 regarding a single smartphone patent related to data tapping. This week, shipments of new HTC smartphones were halted at customs while they are checked for compliance with the order. The hold up at customs has forced Sprint to delay the launch of its 2012 flagship smartphone, the HTC EVO 4G LTE. The talks, which will be moderated by Magistrate Judge Sherry R. Fallon, are scheduled to take place August 28. It’s not clear which managers from the companies will attend. Separately, Apple and Samsung are scheduled to meet Monday and Tuesday, May 21 and 22 to discuss settling their own patent suits.

AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega told investors at the JPMorgan Global Technology, Media and Telecom Conference today that the company is doing what it can to offer devices with low subsidies. “We have to watch subsidies and make sure that we bring devices to market that customers love and will keep and have low subsidies,” he said. In the U.S., wireless network operators often subsidize the cost of handsets for customers who sign new contracts. Customers are then able to afford a decent device, and the carrier recoups the subsidy over the life of the contract. de la Vega cited the Nokia Lumia 900 and HTC One X as good examples of devices with low subsidy points. “These are great devices that I think customers will like,” de la Vega said. The full retail price of the Lumia 900, for example, is $449. AT&T sells it for $99, meaning it subsidizes $350 of the device cost. The iPhone 4S, however, costs $649 at full retail (16GB version). AT&T sells it for $199, meaning it subsidizes $450 of the device cost. Keeping device subsidies low will help AT&T reduce its margins and other costs. de la Vega also reiterated that the company is working to offer shared data plans later this year, which he believes will help increase sales of tablets.