FANUC Requests Unfair Import Investigation of Electric Robots

On December 16, 2004, FANUC Robotics America, Inc. of Rochester Hills, Michigan filed a "Section 337" unfair import complaint at the U.S. International Trade Commission. The complaint requests that an unfair import investigation be instituted involving "Certain Electric Robots and Component Parts Thereof."

The proposed respondents are: Behr Systems, Inc, Auburn Hills, Michigan; Durr AG, Stuttgart, Germany; Motoman, Inc., West Carrollton, Ohio; and Yaskawa Electric Corporation of Kitakyushu, Fukouka, Japan.

The complaint has been designated as confidential and assigned Docket No. 337-2406 for indexing in the Commission's database. The Commission now has 30-35 days from the filing date of the complaint in which to decide whether to institute the investigation. Upon institution, the proposed respondent will be served with the Complaint via postal mail and an Administrative Law Judge will schedule discovery, conduct a trial, and issue a written "Initial Determination," usually within about 10 months. Due to the expedited nature of these proceedings, and availability of general exclusion orders affecting non-parties, it is important to notify any potential importers of similar products as soon as possible.

Click here for more information on the importance of monitoring these ITC investigations, such as by subscribing to the free "I/P Updates" news service at http://ip-updates.blogspot.com/. And click here for a free audio-visual Internet presentation on "Unfair Import Investigations at the U.S. International Trade Commission."

For the latest details on a particular Section 337 investigation, or to arrange a free, in-person presentation on these (and/or other) intellectual property topics, contact Bill Heinze (Bill.Heinze@tkhr.com), at Thomas, Kayden, Horstemeyer & Risley in Atlanta, Georgia.