Legal challenges and investigations are par for the course for multinational corporations, particularly those in the tech space since patents are closely guarded are heavily defended by those that hold them.
Samsung has fought long patent battles with many companies, most popularly with Apple, and has also faced investigations from government regulators. The company now faces another inquiry from the U.S. International Trade Commission.
Samsung isn't alone in facing the investigation
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has confirmed that it's investigating units of Samsung over possible patent infringement. It's not the only company that's being scrutinized along these lines. The USITC has also launched a similar probe against Qualcomm and the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC).
The investigation into these companies covers semiconductor devices, integrated circuits, and mobile devices. New York-based Daedalus Prime filed a complaint with the USITC last month that has led to the USITC opening a probe into some semiconductors manufactured by Samsung and TSMC as well as select integrated circuits from Samsung and Qualcomm.
The complainant is seeking a limited exclusion from the USITC, in addition, to cease and desist orders against the companies named in the complaint. The case will now be assigned to one of the regulators' judges who will hold hearings to gather evidence and conclude whether the patents were infringed or not.
This process normally takes a considerable amount of time. It goes without saying that Samsung will contest this complaint to the best of its abilities. We may have to wait for a few months before we get to see how all of this plays out.
