Appeals Court Upholds ITC Decision in Favor of Power Integrations

November 19, 2007, System General Corp. v. International Trade Commission and Power Integrations, Inc.

Fish & Richardson successfully defended its client, Power Integrations, in a November 19, 2007 appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit which affirmed the U.S. International Trade Commission decision that certain power-supply controllers produced by System General Corp infringed Power Integrations patents. The exclusion order that was issued in 2006 by the ITC will remain in effect and prohibits the importation of System General Corp.’s infringing products into the United States, as well as the importation of any LCD monitors and printer adapters containing the infringing parts.

This decision allows for Power Integrations to proceed with its patent-infringement lawsuit against System General in Federal District Court in San Francisco, which had been stayed pending the appeal of the ITC decision. In that lawsuit, originally filed in June 2004, Power Integrations is seeking damages as well as an injunction against all SG products that infringe the company’s patents, including parts not subject to the ITC decision. The trial date is yet to be determined.

Boston principal Howard Pollack, who argued the case before the Court of Appeals, led the team for Power Integrations, with assistance from Silicon Valley associate Michael Headley, and Boston principal, Frank Scherkenbach