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SanDisk wins ITC review of patent infringement case

SanDisk Corp, the world’s largest maker of cards that store digital pictures, won a second chance to argue that more than a dozen companies infringe on its patents for flash-memory technology.

The US International Trade Commission (ITC) in Washington said on Monday it would review part of an ITC judge’s findings that SanDisk lost in April. SanDisk had originally claimed 25 companies infringed its patents, including LG Electronics Inc and Imation Corp.

In a notice posted on its Web site, the agency said it would review the judge’s interpretation of key claims in one of the ­SanDisk patents. A finding of violation could result in a ban of imports of any products that infringe the SanDisk patent.

SanDisk “is hopeful the company will prevail in the commission’s substantive review,” said Ryan Donovan, a spokesman for the Milpitas, California-based firm.

“We continue to believe in the value of our intellectual property and will vigorously defend it against infringement,” he said.

Flash-memory chips are used to store data in digital cameras, cellphones and MP3 players. SanDisk had originally claimed 50 companies and subsidiaries violated its patents and refused to pay licensing fees. The company received US$191.5 million in licensing and royalty fees in the first six months of the year, or 14 percent of its total revenue, SanDisk said on July 22.

Of the original group named in the complaint, 21 were terminated from the investigation because of settlements, consent orders and withdrawals and five defaulted, the ITC notice showed.

Others still in the case include three Taiwanese companies — Phison Electronics Corp (群聯電子), Silicon Motion Technology Corp (慧榮科技) and Skymedi Corp (擎泰科技).
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