The U.S. International Trade Commission said on Monday it would open an investigation into possible patent violations involving touch-controlled mobile phones, computers and computer parts by Apple Inc, Amazon.com Inc and a slew of other companies following a complaint filed by Neodron Ltd of Ireland.
The trade body said the decision to open an investigation did not constitute any decision on the merits of the case.
Neodron's complaint alleges that the companies violated Section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930 by infringing on the company's patents, and asked the ITC to issue a limited exclusion order and cease and desist orders.
The ITC said the other companies named in the investigation included Asustek Computer of Taiwan; LG Electronics of South Korea, Microsoft Corp, Motorola Mobility; and Japan's Sony Corp.
The ITC said a hearing would be scheduled at a later date, but gave no timetable.
It said it would set a target date for completing the investigation within 45 days after its start.
Amazon, Apple and Microsoft could not immediately be reached for comment.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal in Washington; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
