The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) announced that it will conduct an investigation on certain graphics systems and computing products imported into the country as they allegedly infringe patents owned by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) and ATI Technologies. The companies filed a complaint with the USITC and the federal agency has identified a number of respondents in the investigation, including LG Electronics, VIZIO, MediaTek, and Sigma Designs. The complaint appears to be similar to the one previously filed by AMD in February, with the exception that it has been filed earlier this month.
According to the official statement from the USITC, the complaint filed by AMD and ATI Technologies alleges violations of section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 regarding imports and sales of certain components and graphics systems in the United States. More specifically, the federal agency will conduct an investigation targeting a number of consumer products ranging from TV sets and graphics processors to smartphones, tablets, wearables, integrated circuits and other consumer electronics that might be violating patents owned by AMD and ATI Technologies. A USITC administrative law judge will conduct the investigation and determine whether or not the allegations have any validity. The complainants asked the federal agency to issue a limited exclusion order and cease and desist orders, meaning that any devices found to include components that infringe on patents owned by AMD and ATI Technologies will stop being sold in the United States, at least until the involved parties settle on a licensing agreement. The USITC will investigate LG Electronics’ South Korean and US branches along with LG Electronics MobileComm U.S.A., as well as MediaTek Inc., MediaTek USA, VIZIO Inc. and Sigma Designs.
Once the USITC administrative law judge makes an initial determination as to whether or not these companies and their products infringe on AMD and ATI’s patents, the decision will be reviewed by the Commission that will make a final decision on the matter. The federal agency will set a target date for finalizing the investigation within 45 days, the release states. An update on the situation is expected to follow shortly, presumably by April.