The U.S. International Trade Commission will launch an investigation into Teac Corp. and 11 other companies over alleged infringement of electronic device patents owned by two U.S. firms.
The investigation is based on complaints filed earlier this month by Zoran Corp. and its wholly owned subsidiary Oak Technology Inc., both of Sunnyvale, Calif., under section 337 of the U.S. Tariff Act of 1930.
Zoran and Oak allege the 12 firms' products are infringing on their patents on optical disk controller chips and chip sets used in DVD players and computer storage devices.
The companies include Teac's California-based subsidiary Teac America Inc. as well as Taiwan's MediaTek Inc. and China's Jiangsu Shinco Electronic Group Co.
Zoran and Oak are calling for an injunction against sales of the 12 companies' products on the U.S. market.
The ITC said it will set a date for completing the probe within 45 days of the launch of the patent infringement investigation.