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22 May 2020PatentsRory O'Neill

USITC investigating LCD screen makers after Sharp complaint

US trade officials are investigating TV and computer monitor manufacturers over imported LCD displays after a patent infringement complaint from Japan’s  Sharp Corporation.

The US International Trade Commission (ITC)  announced yesterday, May 21 that it is investigating California’s  Vizio, which sells consumer electronics and home entertainment products including TVs, soundbars, and speakers.

Sharp sued Vizio and several of its international suppliers for patent infringement just two months ago at the US District Court for the Central District of California.

It is common in patent infringement litigation for plaintiffs to also file a complaint at the ITC, where applicable.

The ITC proceedings, known as a ‘section 337’ investigation, primarily deal with imported goods which are suspected of infringing IP, usually patents.

Both the ITC notice of investigation and Sharp’s California lawsuit name Hong Kong’s  TPV Technology, one of the world’s leading computer monitor and TV manufacturers, as well as Chinese technology company Xianyang CaiHong Optoelectronics, and two Trend Smart entities based in the US and Mexico.

In its March lawsuit, Sharp accused Vizio and its suppliers of infringing a total of 12 patents covering LCD displays, commonly used in televisions and computer monitors. According to the complaint, TPV manufactures the infringing displays and supplies them to Vizio for retail in the US.

The ITC investigation looks at the potential infringement of an additional five patents to those asserted in Sharp’s California lawsuit.

It is just the latest IP infringement litigation initiated by Sharp in recent months. In March, the company filed a  separate lawsuit against Chinese smartphone maker  Oppo for allegedly infringing 4G telecommunications patents.

The Oppo lawsuits were filed in Munich, Mannheim, and Tokyo, and relate to LTE technology, associated with the leap from 3G to 4G.

In response, Oppo said that it was opposed to “unreasonably high prices, using litigation as a tool, and other unreasonable negotiations, and does not exclude the right to defend its own interests through legal means”.

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