The U.S. International Trade Commission has announced a patent investigation into Apple and AT&T following a complaint from haptic technology company Immersion. The ITC will look to determine if Apple phones and laptops violate Immersion's patents in their use of Force Touch and 3D Touch.
From the ITC:
The investigation is based on a complaint filed by Immersion Corporation of San Jose, CA, on May 5, 2016 and supplements thereto. The complaint, as supplemented, alleges violations of section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 in the importation into the United States and sale of certain mobile and portable electronic devices incorporating haptics (including smartphones and laptops) and components thereof that infringe patents asserted by the complaint. The complainant requests that the USITC issue a limited exclusion order and cease and desist orders.
The commission asserts that it has made no determination in this case. Immersion originally filed its complain against Apple early last month, its second this year. The most recent action claims that Apple violates four of its patents with the iPhone 6s and 12-inch MacBook.
