US market watchdog investigates complaints of patent infringement of Philips wearables

Following a complaint from Philips and its US division, the US International Trade Commission will investigate FitBit, Garmin, Ingram Micro, Inventec and Maintek. The companies would use technology patented by Philips, without permission.

In its complaint, Philips calls for import duties or even an embargo on competitors’ devices. That eventuality would only apply to the US, as the ITC has no authority beyond it. The statement from the ITC states that it concerns four different patents. The ITC emphasizes that an investigation does not yet say anything about the legitimacy of Philips’ complaints.

Most of the companies in the indictment are American. Only Maintek and Inventec are located in China. Reuters has asked the companies for a response, but was only able to get one from Fitbit before publication: “We believe the charges are false and see it as a result of Philips’ failed attempt to capture a share of the wearables market. “. Fitbit was recently owned by Google, with the acquisition costing $2.1 billion.

The Philips Health Watch from 2016