The US International Trade Commission (USITC) said that it plans to launch an investigation into certain types of flash memory chips that are incorporated into various products such as laptop computers, cell phones, and MP3 players that are imported into the US.
In July, Pennsylvania-based BTG International filed a patent-infringement lawsuit against manufacturers in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas. The complaint alleges violations on the sale of certain MLC flash memory devices and products containing same, that infringe patents asserted by BTG International. The complainant asked the commission for cease and desist order against the importation of those into the US.
The commission identified the following respondents in this investigation: Samsung Electronics, Apple, Asus, Dell, Lenovo, PNY Technologies, Research in Motion, Sony and Transcend Information.
The organisation said in a statement: “By instituting this investigation, the USITC has not yet made any decision on the merits of the case.”
“The USITC’s Chief Administrative Law Judge will assign the case to one of the USITC’s six administrative law judges (ALJ), who will schedule and hold an evidentiary hearing. The ALJ will make an initial determination as to whether there is a violation of section 337; that initial determination is subject to review by the Commission.”
