ITC Issues Import and Sales Ban Against Innoscience

2026-05-08

On May 7, 2026, the full Commission of the United States International Trade Commission (ITC) issued its final determination in Investigation No. 337-TA-1414, affirming that Innoscience had infringed one of Infineon's gallium nitride (GaN) technology patents and formally promulgating an importation and sales ban against Innoscience. This ruling upheld the initial determination rendered by the ITC Administrative Law Judge in December 2025. The decision has now entered a 60-day Presidential review period, upon the expiration of which the ban shall take formal effect.

Responses from Infineon and Innoscience

Infineon responded positively to the ruling. Johannes Schoiswohl, Senior Vice President of Infineon Technologies and Head of the GaN Systems Business Line, stated: "This ruling once again validates Infineon's robust foundation in intellectual property and underscores our resolute determination and commitment to vigorously defend our patent portfolio and uphold fair competition in the marketplace." Infineon possesses the industry's most extensive intellectual property portfolio, encompassing approximately 450 GaN patent families. GaN semiconductors, characterized by superior power density, faster switching speeds, and reduced energy consumption, play a critical role across renewable energy, AI data centers, industrial automation, and electric vehicle applications.

ITC Issues Import and Sales Ban Against Innoscience

Innoscience, however, presented a divergent interpretation in its official statement. The company announced that the full Commission unanimously concurred that its existing products do not infringe Infineon's U.S. Patent No. 9,070,755 (pertaining to electrode design) and U.S. Patent No. 9,899,481 (pertaining to packaging design). Innoscience emphasized that the Commission recognized only two claims of Patent No. 9,899,481 as valid, and that infringement was found solely with respect to historical products that the company had long since ceased manufacturing and selling. Consequently, the relevant import and sales ban imposes no material impact upon its current U.S. operations, and the company shall continue uninterrupted supply of its existing GaN power products to customers in the United States and worldwide.

In essence, the ban targets specific historical products adjudicated as infringing, whereas Innoscience's currently marketed mainstream GaN power devices were not found to constitute infringement upon review.

Global Litigation Landscape

Beyond the U.S. ITC investigation, the patent confrontation between Infineon and Innoscience has expanded into multiple global jurisdictions. In Germany, Infineon has filed infringement actions before the Munich I Regional Court (Landgericht München I) asserting three patents and one utility model. As early as August 2024, the court ruled that Innoscience had infringed the first patent asserted by Infineon, trials for one additional patent and one utility model are scheduled for June 2026.

In the Chinese market, in January 2025, Innoscience initiated proceedings before the Suzhou Intermediate People's Court against Infineon Technologies (China) Co., Ltd. and others, alleging infringement of two of its GaN power device patents. Infineon's jurisdictional objection was overruled, and its subsequent appeal to the Supreme People's Court was similarly dismissed. In April 2026, Innoscience announced victory in two patent administrative litigation cases before the Beijing Intellectual Property Court, wherein the court fully upheld the validity of its two core GaN technology invention patents and rejected Infineon's requests for invalidation.

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