ITC to investigate Samsung and Qualcomm

The US International Trade Commission (ITC) has said it will investigate claims by computer graphics company Nvidia that its patents were infringed by Samsung and Qualcomm.

The ITC’s investigation will probe seven patents owned by Nvidia that cover the company’s so-called foundational invention, the graphics processing unit (GPU), which puts all the functions needed to process graphics and light up screens on a single chip.

Nvidia filed lawsuits at both the US District Court for the District of Delaware and the ITC earlier this month.

Nvidia asked the ITC to block shipments of Samsung Galaxy phones and tablets that contain Qualcomm’s Adreno technology as well as semiconductor companies ARM Holdings’ Mali and Imagination Technologies’ PowerVR platforms.

Although Nvidia did not name ARM Holdings or Imagination Technologies as defendants, it claimed products using “any one of these three types of GPUs” infringed its patents.

If the investigation goes in favour of Santa Clara-based Nvidia, Samsung and Qualcomm could face an exclusion order banning their products from being imported into the US.

"We are pleased with the ITC decision today to open an investigation and look forward to presenting our case on how Nvidia GPU patents are being used without a license," David Shannon, Nvidia’s vice president, said in a statement.

The ITC will set a target date for completing its investigation within 45 days of it starting.

Orders in section 337 cases become final 60 days after their issuance unless they are rejected by the US Trade Representative for policy reasons within that time frame.

According to Nvidia, it was the first time the company had filed a patent lawsuit in its 21-year history. It also asked the district court to award it unspecified damages.

Samsung and Nvidia did not respond immediately to a request for comment.