Days before Saturday’s release of the first Apple iPads, Elan Microelectronics Corp., a Taiwanese maker of chips and touchscreens, asked a U.S. trade agency to ban the import and sale of some Apple products because of alleged patent infringement.
Elan’s complaint, filed Monday with the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington, D.C., claims Apple “knowingly and deliberately” used Elan’s technology, while continuing to introduce infringing products, the company claims in the complaint.
The petition also seeks to ban imports of iPhone and iPod Touch products, Elan said in the complaint.
Apple’s MacBook and Magic Mouse also use technology that infringes an Elan patent for detecting the simultaneous presence of two or more fingers, according to the filing.
