ITC to officially investigate LG’s patent complaints against BLU in US

LG claims BLU infringed on five of its LTE-related patents, and the International Trade Commission says it will officially begin the investigation.

Back in March, the South Korean company filed complaints with the ITC in the US, stating that the American mobile phone company had infringed on LG’s LTE-related patents. In addition to seeking a cease-and-desist order, LG filed a lawsuit against BLU for financial compensation in a Delaware federal court. Now, patent lawsuits aren’t exactly new (see: Samsung vs. Apple), but this is the first time that LG has filed complaints against another smartphone manufacturer.

According to LG, BLU has been using LG’s patented LTE technologies unlawfully, and despite the company’s attempts to reach a licensing deal, BLU continued infringing on these five patents at issue:

We have sent warning letters four times to BLU since last year but it has never responded to us. We have filed a lawsuit in order to actively protect stand-alone technologies and to strictly handle improper use by rival companies.

The ITC has responded by saying that it will begin an official investigation into the matter and complete the investigation within 45 days; the remedial orders will remain in place unless the USTR disapproves it within 60 days.

Though you may not be aware, BLU is the sixth largest smartphone maker in North America, focusing on budget devices. The company sold more than 5 million smartphones last year alone. LG, on the other hand, is not only the third biggest smartphone manufacturer in the US, but it also boasts the largest number of LTE- and LTE-Advanced-related patents globally.

Though we will have to wait and see what decision the ITC reaches, BLU has faced quite a few lawsuits recently: from BlackBerry regarding 2G, 3G, and LTE patents, and from angry users whose information may have been leaked to a Chinese company via a pre-installed bloatware app. “Bold Like Us” (hence, BLU) may not be such a wise approach when it comes to legal issues, it seems.

What do you think about LG’s complaints against BLU? Is this a legitimate issue or just another meaningless patent war? Let us know by leaving a comment below!