New York, NY -- An article from the Business Week website reports that Canon filed a complaint against Ninestar Image International Ltd. In Hong Kong and China as well as the 10 U.S.-based companies that sell their products with the the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) to block their importing.
From Canon’s perspective, the accused are guilty of infringing on two different U.S. patents. U.S. sales account for about 28 percent of Canon’s revenue. The patents in question revolve around the rotating drums contained within the toner cartridges and how they connect to the printer. Specifically the complaint says, “Laser beams scan across the drum in a pattern matching the image to be printed and powdery toner sticks to the device before being deposited on the paper.”
Canon opened a plant in Newport News, VA last year for the purpose of producing “‘millions’” of the cartridges in question. They are seeking a ruling in their favor from the ITC who has the role of protecting U.S. markets from “unfair trade practices”.
This is not the first time Canon has tangled with Ninestar, however. In December 2009 Canon settle claims with Ninestar in Japan over unauthorized ink cartridges. At the time of this writing, Ninestar has not replied to a request for comments.
For more information or to follow the cases, the ITC case is “In the Matter of Toner Cartridges and Components Thereof, Complaint No. 2743, U.S. International Trade Commission (Washington)”. There is a separate civil suit as well, “Canon Inc. v. Ninestar Image International Ltd., 10cv4999, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (Manhattan)”.
