Apple, others named in ITC complaint

BTG International, a technology company based in Pennsylvania, has filed a complaint with the International Trade Commission alleging that Apple and a host of other companies unlawfully import and sell products containing patent infringing MLC flash memory chips, as well as the chips themselves. The complaint explains that BTG’s patents “relate to methods and apparatuses for programming and reading Flash memory cells that store more than a single bit of information per cell;” such chips are found in every current iPod and iPhone model, save for the iPod classic, and are typically manufactured by Samsung, according to the complaint. BTG filed a lawsuit against Samsung over the patent dispute in December of 2008, and filed suit against Apple and several other companies this July. BTG is requesting the Commission issue either a general or limited exclusion order aimed at stopping the importation of the chips and products containing the chips, as well as a cease and desist order directed to all the involved companies. Other companies named in the suit include Sony, RIM, Dell, Lenovo, and ASUS.