ITC Looks Into Alleged Patent Violations

The International Trade Commission is investigating whether products of two foreign companies that are imported into the U.S. infringe patents of Sunnyvale-based Oak Technology Inc. The devices, which manage the flow of data and communications between a CD-ROM drive and a host computer, are manufactured by Taiwan-based Winbond Electronics Corp. and Singapore-based Wearnes Technology Ltd., the ITC said. The agency is acting on a complaint by Oak Technology alleging that the two companies are violating the Tariff Act of 1930 by infringing patents of a U.S. company. Oak Technology wants the ITC to permanently ban the import of the devices into the U.S. The ITC said in a statement that it “has not yet made any decision on the merits of the case.” It said it will announce the target date for the end of the investigation on Sept. 6. Oak Technology shares fell 31 cents to close at $10.75 on Nasdaq.