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Trade Commission probes HP-Acer patent spat
ITC wants the poop on suit
The US International Trade Commission said today it will investigate allegations that Taiwan-based computer vendor Acer has violated Hewlett-Packard patents.
The commission stated that no decisions have been made on the merits of the case, and will sick administrative law judge Paul Luckern on the feudsters to hold an evidentiary hearing. The investigation is expected to take 45 days.
HP filed suit against Acer in March for alleged infringement of five US patents related to PC technology. In April, HP filed another lawsuit against Acer over five more patents. Both actions seek unspecified damages and permanent blockage of Acer selling any items based on the patents in the US.
Acer, in turn, this month filed lawsuits against three suppliers to hold them responsible for defending the vendor against the patent claims.
Acer has recently overtaken Lenovo for the position of third largest PC vendor worldwide. Acer's growth and desire to expand in the US market is no doubt a cause for concern for HP, the world largest PC vendor. ®
Biting the hand that feeds IT
