US launches probe into solid state storage

China's Lenovo Group along with other foreign IT firms are facing probes by the US International Trade Commission (USITC) on charges of infringing on patents related to the solid state drive technologies of US chipmaker BiTMICRO Inc, China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said Wednesday.

BiTMICRO brought patent litigation based on Section 337 of the US Tariff Act against Lenovo, US-based Dell Technologies Inc, and South Korea's Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix Inc, according to the USITC.

Neither MOFCOM nor Lenovo offered any comment when reached by the Global Times on Wednesday.

Under Section 337 of the US Tariff Act, the USITC can impose sanctions on imports of products that have been found to violate patents owned by US companies or individuals.

The BiTMICRO complaint asked the commission to issue a limited exclusion order, cease and desist orders and to impose a bond upon respondents' alleged infringing articles.