International Troll Commission

27 October 2014 By Reynolds Holding Follow @holdingren

The search giant says an International Trade Commission ban on imports of infringing items in digital form may disrupt the internet. Moreover, websites and cloud computing firms could become easier prey for patent trolls. It’s up to an appeals court to squelch ITC excesses.

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Google and dozens of other internet companies on Oct. 16 filed briefs urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to reverse an International Trade Commission ruling that would ban imports of digital data used to create patent-infringing products.

The ITC ruled in April that electronically transmitted information qualifies as an “article” that can be banned under the U.S. Tariff Act. The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by Align Technology against ClearCorrect Operating for allegedly infringing patents on teeth-straightening devices. ClearCorrect generated digital models in Pakistan and then transmitted them to Texas so they could be transformed into actual braces.

Oral arguments before the appeals court have not yet been scheduled.

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