Seagate has escalated its legal assault on rival micro hard drive maker Cornice by asking the US International Trade Commission to ban the import into the US of any product that contains a Cornice 1in drive.

If enforced the ban could hit the likes of MP3 player makers Aiwa (ie. Sony), iRiver, Element, Rio and RCA (ie. Thomson), and other vendors, including Digitalway.

Seagate claims Cornice's 1in drive, the Cornice Storage Element (CSE), infringes six of its patents. In June, it slapped its rival with a lawsuit seeking not only a ban on the sale of CSE in the US but the payment of damages.

Last week, fellow drive maker Western Digital also took a pot shot at Cornice. It has launched its own lawsuit, alleging that Cornice violated seven of its patents in the development of CSE. The suit, filed with the US District Court for Orange County, California, also seeks a ban on the sale of CSE in the US and monetary damages.

To date, Cornice has not responded to either action. ®

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