U.S. appliance maker Whirlpool filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) claiming that Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, and others infringed its patents.
According to Reuters and others on the 18th local time, Whirlpool filed a complaint with the ITC against Korean and Chinese competitors. It claimed that Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics, and Chinese companies Midea and Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. copied its microwave oven patented technology. Whirlpool submitted a complaint to the ITC that day asking the ITC to block the import and sale of the related products.
In the complaint, Whirlpool claimed that these corporations infringed five patents related to its "low-profile microwave-hood combination product" (LP-MHC). The gist of the claim is that it had been supplying, on an exclusive basis in the United States, microwave technology that provides both cooking and ventilation functions, but these corporations are making and selling similar products through "illegal conduct."