Dell, HP and Lenovo named in USITC investigation

The US International Trade Commission (ITC) will investigate several technology and electronics companies, following a complaint from Koninklijke Philips and its US unit.

In an announcement shared on Friday, October 16, the ITC identified Dell, HP, Lenovo, LG Electronics and others as respondents in the investigation.

Filed in September, Philips’ section 337 complaint alleged that these companies were infringing four patents through the importation of certain digital video-capable devices, including computers, monitors, servers, and other products.

At the same time as filing its ITC complaint, Philips filed a spate of suits at the US District Court for the District of Delaware, accusing the companies of infringing its patents.

The patents, US numbers 9,436,809; 10,091,186; 9,590,977; and 10,298,56, all called “secure authenticated distance measurement”, apply to technology used in the high-bandwidth digital content, which is used to verify streaming content.

Now, the ITC’s chief administrative law judge will assign the case to an administrative law judge (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. This is subject to review by the ITC.

A spokesperson for Philips said: “At Philips, we respect fair competition and IP rights of others and we believe that other companies should abide by the same standards.”

Philips is no stranger to enforcing its patents before the ITC. In January, the ITC also agreed to investigate wearable monitoring devices made by Fitbit and Garmin, after a complaint by Philips alleged infringement of four patents related to activity monitors.

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