[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 55 (Friday, March 20, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16130-16131]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-05841]


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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION

[Investigation No. 337-TA-1193]


Certain Capacitive Touch-Controlled Mobile Devices, Computers, 
and Components Thereof; Institution of Investigation

AGENCY: U.S. International Trade Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that a complaint was filed with the 
U.S. International Trade Commission on February 14, 2020, under section 
337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, on behalf of Neodron Ltd. of 
Ireland. Letters supplementing the complaint were filed on February 19 
and 21 and March 2, 2020. The complaint alleges violations of section 
337 based upon the importation into the United States, the sale for 
importation, and the sale within the United States after importation of 
certain capacitive touch-controlled mobile devices, computers, and 
components thereof by reason of infringement of certain claims of U.S. 
Patent No. 7,821,425 (``the '425 patent''); U.S. Patent No. 7,903,092 
(``the '092 patent''); U.S. Patent No. 8,749,251 (``the '251 patent''); 
and U.S. Patent No. 9,411,472 (``the '472 patent''). The complaint 
further alleges that an industry in the United States exists as 
required by the applicable Federal Statute.
    The complainant requests that the Commission institute an 
investigation and, after the investigation, issue a limited exclusion 
order and cease and desist orders.

ADDRESSES: The complaint, except for any confidential information 
contained therein, is available for inspection during official business 
hours (8:45 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.) in the Office of the Secretary, U.S. 
International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Room 112, Washington, 
DC 20436, telephone (202) 205-2000. Hearing impaired individuals are 
advised that information on this matter can be obtained by contacting 
the Commission's TDD terminal on (202) 205-1810. Persons with mobility 
impairments who will need special assistance in gaining access to the 
Commission should contact the Office of the Secretary at (202) 205-
2000. General information concerning the Commission may also be 
obtained by accessing its internet server at https://www.usitc.gov. The 
public record for this investigation may be viewed on the Commission's 
electronic docket (EDIS) at https://edis.usitc.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pathenia M. Proctor, Office of Unfair 
Import Investigations, U.S. International Trade Commission, telephone 
(202) 205-2559.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Authority: The authority for institution of this investigation is 
contained in section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended, 19 
U.S.C. 1337, and in section 210.10 of the Commission's Rules of 
Practice and Procedure, 19 CFR 210.10 (2019).
    Scope of investigation: Having considered the complaint, the U.S. 
International Trade Commission, on March 16, 2020, Ordered that--
    (1) Pursuant to subsection (b) of section 337 of the Tariff Act of 
1930, as amended, an investigation be instituted to determine whether 
there is a violation of subsection (a)(1)(B) of section 337 in the 
importation into the United States, the sale for importation, or the 
sale within the United States after importation of certain products 
identified in paragraph (2) by reason of infringement of one or more of 
claims 25-40 of the '425 patent; claims 1-12 of the '092 patent; claims 
1-9 and 16-20 of the '251 patent; and claims 1-6 and 13-23 of the '472 
patent; and whether an industry in the United States exists as required 
by subsection (a)(2) of section 337;
    (2) Pursuant to section 210.10(b)(1) of the Commission's Rules of 
Practice and Procedure, 19 CFR 210.10(b)(1), the plain language 
description of the accused products or category of accused products, 
which defines the scope of the investigation, is ``touch-controlled 
smartphones, touch-controlled tablet devices, touch-controlled notebook 
computers, touch-controlled laptop computers, and components thereof'';
    (3) Pursuant to Commission Rule 210.50(b)(1), 19 CFR 210.50(b)(1), 
the presiding administrative law judge shall take evidence or other 
information and hear arguments from the parties or other interested 
persons with respect to the public interest in this investigation, as 
appropriate, and provide the Commission with findings of fact and a

[[Page 16131]]

recommended determination on this issue, which shall be limited to the 
statutory public interest factors set forth in 19 USC 1337(d)(1), 
(f)(1), (g)(1);
    (4) For the purpose of the investigation so instituted, the 
following are hereby named as parties upon which this notice of 
investigation shall be served:
    (a) The complainant is:
    Neodron Ltd., Unit 4-5, Burton Hall Road, Sandyford, Dublin 18, 
D18A094, Ireland.
    (b) The respondents are the following entities alleged to be in 
violation of section 337, and is/are the parties upon which the 
complaint is to be served:
    Amazon.com, Inc., 410 Terry Avenue North, Seattle, WA 98109.
    Apple Inc., One Apple Park Way, Cupertino, CA 95014.
    ASUSTeK Computer Inc., No. 15, Li-Te Road, Beitou District, Taipei 
112, Taiwan.
    ASUS Computer International, 48720 Kato Road, Fremont, CA 94538.
    LG Electronics Inc., LG Twin Tower 128, Yeoui-daero, Yeongdeungpo-
gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea 07336.
    LG Electronics USA, Inc., 1000 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 
07632.
    Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, WA 98052.
    Motorola Mobility LLC, 222 W Merchandise Mart Plaza, Suite 1800, 
Chicago, IL 60654.
    Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., 129 Samsung-Ro, Maetan-3dong, 
Yeongtong-gu, Suwon, 443-742, South Korea.
    Samsung Electronics America, Inc., 85 Challenger Road, Ridgefield 
Park, NJ 07660.
    Sony Corporation, 1-7-1 Konan Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-0075, Japan.
    Sony Mobile Communications Inc., 4-12-3 Higashi-Shinagawa, 
Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, 140-0002, Japan.
    (c) The Office of Unfair Import Investigations, U.S. International 
Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW, Suite 401, Washington, DC 20436; and
    (5) For the investigation so instituted, the Chief Administrative 
Law Judge, U.S. International Trade Commission, shall designate the 
presiding Administrative Law Judge.
    Responses to the complaint and the notice of investigation must be 
submitted by the named respondents in accordance with section 210.13 of 
the Commission's Rules of Practice and Procedure, 19 CFR 210.13. 
Pursuant to 19 CFR 201.16(e) and 210.13(a), such responses will be 
considered by the Commission if received not later than 20 days after 
the date of service by the Commission of the complaint and the notice 
of investigation. Extensions of time for submitting responses to the 
complaint and the notice of investigation will not be granted unless 
good cause therefor is shown.
    Failure of a respondent to file a timely response to each 
allegation in the complaint and in this notice may be deemed to 
constitute a waiver of the right to appear and contest the allegations 
of the complaint and this notice, and to authorize the administrative 
law judge and the Commission, without further notice to the respondent, 
to find the facts to be as alleged in the complaint and this notice and 
to enter an initial determination and a final determination containing 
such findings, and may result in the issuance of an exclusion order or 
a cease and desist order or both directed against the respondent.

    By order of the Commission.

    Issued: March 16, 2020.
Lisa Barton,
Secretary to the Commission.
[FR Doc. 2020-05841 Filed 3-19-20; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7020-02-P