ITC Votes to Institute Patent Investigation on Mobile Devices w/ Haptics
The International Trade Commission voted to institute an investigation of certain mobile devices incorporating haptics. The products at issue in this investigation are smartphones with a feature that signals the user when a key or icon has been touched, for example by vibrating or pulsing in response to the touch (337-TA-834).
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The investigation is based an amended complaint filed by Immersion Corporation of San Jose, CA on March 2, 2012 and a letter supplementing the complaint filed on March 15, 2012. The complaint alleges violations of section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 in the importation into the U.S. and sale of certain mobile devices incorporating haptics that infringe patents asserted by Immersion Corporation. The complainants request that the USITC issue an exclusion order and a cease and desist order.
The ITC has identified the following as respondents in this investigation:
- Motorola Mobility, Inc., of Libertyville, IL
- Motorola Mobility Holdings, Inc.. of Libertyville, IL
- HTC Corporation of Taiwan
- HTC America, Inc., of Bellevue, WA
(See ITT's Online Archives 12031438 for summary of ITC's request for comments relating to the amended complaint, which included nine respondents. Immersion later withdrew its request that the ITC name five of the companies included in the amended complaint as respondents in its March 15, 2012 letter.)
Subsequent ITC notice instituting investigation (FR Pub 04/06/12) available here.