Regarding smart TVs, monitors, and their components, the United States has resumed the Section 337 investigation into intellectual property barriers.

After the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration’s large-scale tariff measures carried out under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act lack clear legal authorization, the White House is doing everything it can to roll out backup tools.

According to a report by China Trade Remedy Information, as of U.S. Eastern Time on March 30, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) voted to initiate a Section 337 investigation into certain electronic devices with video capabilities, including smart TVs, monitors, and their components.

One month earlier, InterDigital, Inc. of Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., InterDigital VC Holdings, Inc. of Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., and InterDigital Madison Patent Holdings SAS of France, France filed a request with the ITC to open a Section 337 case investigation.

This time, multiple companies related to TCL and Hisense were listed as defendants. The ITC will determine the investigation’s end date within 45 days after the case is filed.

A Section 337 investigation is an intellectual property investigation conducted by the ITC under Article 337 of the U.S. Tariff Act of 1930. It covers a range of so-called unfair competition behaviors, including trademarks, copyrights, semiconductor integrated circuit layout-designs, trade secrets, false advertising, and counterfeiting.

The core reason the U.S. government favors Section 337 investigations is that this tool is, in practice, a powerful trade-protection mechanism with strong deterrent effects. Investigations are typically completed within 12 to 18 months, far more efficiently than the patent litigation cycle in courts, which averages more than 3 years.

Once the target violation is found, the ITC has the authority to bar infringing products from entering the United States. U.S. Customs can intercept them directly, and it can also prohibit sales in the U.S. of infringing inventory that has already been imported—deeply affecting global industry-chain layout and companies’ strategic decision-making.

In high-tech areas and consumer electronics, for example, Section 337 investigations have already been used as market-exclusionary strategies by companies such as Qualcomm and Nokia, to curb competitors’ expansion of market share.

Because the costs to respond are high, with attorney fees for a single case often reaching more than $5 million, many companies choose to settle or exit.

In recent years, multiple key Chinese export enterprises—such as in photovoltaics, displays, communications equipment, and home appliances—have repeatedly run into this type of investigation. In 2024, there were 24 cases involving mainland China companies, and the overall win rate was relatively low.

According to a previous report by Jiemian News, on February 27 this year, EVE Imaging Innovation announced that the final ruling in the U.S. Section 337 investigation involving the company had been issued. The company can continue to import and sell its existing products in the United States without restrictions, and the investigation did not have a substantive impact on the company’s production and operations.

The origin of this investigation can be traced back to March 29, 2024. The U.S. company GoPro alleged that EVE Imaging Innovation and products related to the company’s U.S. subsidiary infringed its 6 U.S. intellectual property rights, including utility patents and design patents.

The U.S. trade measures change with the times, and this will once again hit the U.S. domestic economy and the direction of global trade. Lippsky, chair of international economics at the Atlantic Council think tank, said that this once again reminds us that the market’s earlier judgment—that 2026 would enter a period of stable tariffs—is wrong.

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