Elan Microelectronics Turns to U.S. International Trade Commission in Multi-Touch Patent Dispute With Apple
Bloomberg reports that Taiwanese firm Elan Microelectronics has filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) seeking the halt of imports of a variety of Apple products under claims of patent infringement. The complaint follows an
April 2009 lawsuit over the same issues.
"Our goal is to protect our technology and to stop sales of those products in the U.S.," Dennis Liu, spokesman for Hsinchu, Taiwan-based Elan, said by phone today. The complaint was filed yesterday and is in addition to a suit brought against Apple in a California court in April last year, Liu said.
Apple's iPhone, iPod Touch, MacBook, Magic Mouse and iPad use technology which infringes Elan's "352" patent for detecting the simultaneous presence of two or more fingers, the company said in an e-mailed statement today.
The ITC will decide within 30 days whether to pursue an investigation of Elan's claims.
Apple has found itself increasingly embroiled in high-profile patent disputes in recent months, facing off with Nokia and Kodak before taking to the offensive by filing a complaint against HTC, manufacturer of a number of Android-based handsets, earlier this month.
Popular Stories
A source said to be familiar with Apple's supply chain today revealed the color options Apple is planning for the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and the upcoming foldable iPhone.
Image via Macworld.
The information comes from Macworld, which says the signature new color for this year's Pro models will be Dark Cherry, a deep wine-like red. While other sources had previously reported on a...
According to the latest rumors, Apple is close to launching its next-generation iPad mini. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released over a year ago? Read on to find out.
Processor and Performance
Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to information found in code...
During its Platforms State of the Union segment at WWDC 2025, Apple revealed that macOS 26 Tahoe is the final major macOS version for Intel-based Macs.
The upcoming macOS 27 release will be compatible with Apple silicon Macs only, meaning that you will need a Mac with an M-series chip or a MacBook Neo with an A18 Pro chip in order to install the software update. macOS 27 should be available...
