In a recent ITC Section 337 patent complaint, 3M asked the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) to start an investigation concerning “Certain Shielded Electrical Ribbon Cables and Products Containing the Same” against Amphenol Corp., Amphenol Interconnect Products Corp., Amphenol Cables on Demand Corp., Amphenol Assemble Technology (Xiamen) Co. Ltd., Amphenol (Xiamen) High Speed Cable Co. Ltd., and Amphenol East Asia Limited (Taiwan).
Although the complaint names only these particular entities, 3M seeks an order that would direct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to seize all such cables as they enter U.S. ports. Under such an order, known as a general exclusion order, all companies that import such cables could be at risk of having their cables stopped at the border and seized by U.S. Customs. Companies in this industry or with interests in this industry may want to ensure that their supplies of such products continue and that their interests generally are protected from risk. 3M notes that no companies outside 3M are licensed under 3M’s patents to import such products into the United States.
McGuireWoods’ team of ITC trial lawyers and U.S. Customs lawyers in Washington, D.C., and around the country help clients with these issues. For questions or comments regarding this client advisory or other ITC issues, contact any member of our ITC team.