Washington – The Computer & Communications Industry filed comments in response to an International Trade Commission request, saying it should not exclude Apple products that contribute to health and fitness. The filing by CCIA and NetChoice notes the devices the ITC is considering blocking contribute to identifying health issues like early detection of atrial fibrillation.
The following can be attributed to CCIA patent counsel Josh Landau, who wrote the comments:
“AliveCor and Apple both make products that can help detect atrial fibrillation, a potentially serious health condition. Unfortunately, AliveCor is trying to keep Apple’s products out of the United States based on patents that the Patent Office has found reasonably likely to be invalid. The Patent Office is expected to issue a final order on these patents before the end of the year.
“Even if the Commission finds the asserted patents to be both valid and infringed, an
exclusion order would be inappropriate because of the impacts on public health and welfare and
the lack of advantage to any U.S. manufacturing. At a minimum, the Commission should wait until the Patent Office provides its expert views on the validity of the asserted patents.”