Mitsubishi Unit Named in Complaint : Electronics: The action by the U.S. International Trade Commission could lead to a ban on the import and sale of the company’s semiconductors.

The U.S. International Trade Commission has filed a complaint that could lead to a ban on the import and sale of Mitsubishi semiconductors, National Semiconductor Corp. said Friday.

National Semiconductor in Santa Clara said it requested the complaint against Japan-based Mitsubishi Electric Corp. and its Mitsubishi Electronics America Inc. unit. The action by the trade commission could lead to a ban on sale of the chips and the devices in which they are used, such as computers.

Officials at Cypress-based Mitsubishi Electronics America said they were not aware of the agency’s action and could not comment. The subsidiary employs about 4,500 people nationwide and generates annual sales of $3 billion.

The Cypress headquarters controls seven Mitsubishi subsidiaries in the United States, including the U.S. semiconductor chips sales operation. The company uses chips in a wide array of electronic equipment, from big-screen televisions to computer monitors.

National Semiconductor said the complaint will initiate formal discovery and hearing proceedings.

The company said it has filed a separate patent infringement action against Mitsubishi with the U.S. District Court in North Carolina, consistent with its goal of protecting its intellectual property rights.

It said its lawsuit asserts that Mitsubishi is using National Semiconductor’s patented technology in a wide variety of semiconductor devices, such as dynamic random access memories and static random access memories.