The International Trade Commission says it will investigate claims made by Aqua Connect and Strategic Technology Partners that Apple is infringing on its patents.
The two California-based firms filed grievances with the ITC in October and assert Apple’s Mac computers, iPhones, iPads, iPods, and Apple TVs violate their intellectual property. The specific technology in question was not immediately identified.
The ITC will assign the case to an administrative law judge for review. The judge will make an initial ruling that will then be reviewed by the entire ITC panel.
Aqua Connect and Strategic Technology Partners hope to ban Apple from selling the devices unless it pays up. The ITC is a popular venue for legal complaints between tech companies because it has the power to prevent them from importing devices into the country.
