US trade body launches probe into hard disk market
Vendors could face import ban.
By Martyn Williams, IDG News Service | Published: 09:13, 11 October 2007
A US industry body has launched an investigation into five companies after allegations of patent infringement in hard-disk drives.
The probe, to be conduscted by the United States International Trade Commission, will target both drive makers and companies that use hard-disk drives in their products: Western Digital, Seagate Technology, Toshiba, HP and Dell, said the agency.
The Washington-based body said the investigation had been launched in reaction to a complaint of violation of Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, which could lead to a ban on importation into the US, of products that allegedly infringe on US patents. The complaint was made a month earlier by Steven and Mary Reiber of Lincoln, California, and is centered on "dissipative ceramic bonding tips," which is related to electrical wire connections inside the drives.
The ITC did not name the patents alleged to have been infringed, but according to US Patent and Trademark Office records, the Reibers hold patents 6,935,548 and 6,651,864 covering such methods.
The ITC has a 45-day timeframe in which to set a target date for completing the investigation. The case will be heard by ITC administrative law judge Carl Charneski, who will set an evidentiary hearing.
The complainants requested that the ITC issue a permanent exclusion order and a permanent cease-and-desist order against the companies.
