Hard times ahead for hard drives

Friday, October 12. 2007

Hard times ahead for hard drives

Five companies are currently being investigated by the International Trade Commission including Western Digital, Seagate, Toshiba, Hewlett-Packard, and Dell. In a statement issued yesterday, the ITC said that the hard drives in question are alleged to infringe on patents owned by California residents Steven and Mary Reiber. The two filed a complaint with the ITC in September, saying that the importation of the hard drives violates section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930. These parts are used to bond electrical wires within the hard drive—while the ITC doesn't specify exactly which patents the technology allegedly infringes on, two patents that are owned by the Reibers, titled "Dissipative ceramic bonding tool tip," appear to fit the description.