Washington D.C., February 22 - The U.S. International Trade Commission has launched two probes on products from China and other regions that allegedly violated US patent laws.  The first probe was issued on products such as, toner cartridges for use in laser printers and other laser printing machines, and photo sensitive drums inside the toner cartridges.

Last month, Canon USA brought their complaint to the USITC claiming the importation of said products in violation of Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930.  Canon also requested for an exclusion order and to desist orders against those products.

The USITC meanwhile has 34 respondents to the case including one from Hong Kong and four from mainland China.  The USITC has 45 days to complete the investigation after the institution of the probe.  If the complaint is approved, the alleged companies will be banned from exporting products into the U.S.

The second probe, also with alleged patent infringement, is on dimmable fluorescent lamps imported from 12 companies, seven of which are from China.

Violations of Section 337 include patent or registered trademark infringement, misappropriation of trade secrets, trade dress infringement, passing off, false advertising, and violation anti-trust laws.  For fiscal year 2011, which ended September 30, 2011, the number of Section 337 investigations increased 37% from 2010, to a record high of 70 cases.

- based on an article from http://english.peopledaily.com.cn, 02/23/12