Samsung Facing Patent Infringement Lawsuits
The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) decided on June 19 to investigate seven IT companies, including Samsung Electronics, regarding possibilities of touch screen-related patent infringement. The decision is based on a request from Neodron, which is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.
Neodron claimed that some mobile devices, computers and components currently available in the U.S. market have infringed upon four of its touch screen patents. The company asked the USITC to initiate an investigation and ban the import and sale of such products.
The USITC said that the targets of the investigation are Samsung Electronics’ main office in South Korea, Samsung Electronics America, Amazon, Dell, HP, Microsoft, Motorola, Lenovo’s main office in China, and Lenovo America. Neodron filed patent infringement lawsuits against the companies in states such as Texas, too.
Earlier, the Supporting Technology Transfer and Catalyzing Economic Development (STC), a non-profit organization owned by the board of the University of New Mexico, filed a semiconductor patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung Electronics late last month. The STC, which trains engineers in the field of advanced technology in Albuquerque, New Mexico, submitted its complaint in Texas, claiming that Samsung Electronics infringed upon its patents in producing semiconductors for use in smartphones and computer chips. The targets of the litigation are Samsung Electronics America, Samsung Semiconductor (SSI), and Samsung Austin Semiconductor (SAS).
In addition, in late February this year, Swiss watch company Swatch Group filed a trademark infringement suit against Samsung Electronics with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, claiming that Samsung smartwatches’ screens are almost identical to those of its watches in part.