A Medical Device Daily

Knowles Electronics (Itasca, Illinois) reported that an International Trade Commission (ITC; Washington) judge has found that Knowles is likely to succeed in showing its patents cover Analog Devices' (ADI; Norwood, Massachusetts) MEMS microphone products.

"The judge made the right decision by ruling in favor of Knowles Electronics on the infringement issue," said Jeffrey Niew, president/CEO of Knowles. "This ruling is consistent with our view of the merits of this case."

The company said a hearing is set for July 7, in which the ITC will more closely review all of the issues raised in this case and decide if ADI's accused products may be imported into the U.S.

According to Knowles, the judge denied the company's request for a temporary exclusion order in part because of his finding of a lack of irreparable harm for the expedited relief sought by Knowles. "We believe the judge has ruled narrowly with respect to some issues," said Mike Adell, VP and general manager of Knowles. "However, the judge's ruling is not dispositive of what we believe will be the final outcome in this case, namely, a finding that ADI's microphone packages infringe upon Knowles' patents, and that those patents are in fact, valid."