When it comes to patent disputes, last year proved that the International Trade Commission and the booming smartphone sector make for a near-perfect pairing. And, observers say, the connection between the two is unlikely to fade anytime soon.
As of late March, 13 cases related to smartphones were pending before the ITC, according to a report prepared by Covington & Burling, with 12 of them filed in 2010. The cases—known formally as 337 investigations for the section of the Tariff Act of 1930 that addresses the commission’s role in policing unfair competition—involve 14 companies and dozens of patents on everything from touch screen technology to camera functionality. Apple Inc., clearly keen on maintaining the iPhone’s market share, is a party to eight cases alone, vying with giants like Nokia Corporation and Sony Corporation, as well as obscure companies like Cayman Islands–based S3 Graphics Inc., which holds patents on graphics-visualization technology.
