A federal agency said Nov. 28 that it will investigate an allegation by Taiwanese computer maker Acer Inc. that some computer equipment made by Hewlett-Packard Co. infringes on its patents.

Acer asked the U.S. International Trade Commission in late October to initiate the investigation. Acer wants the agency to ban the import and sale of certain HP computers, printers and scanners that it says violate its patents.