A recent Leviton news release noted that the company won a
“general exclusion order” from the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC)
“prohibiting the unlicensed importation of infringing ground fault circuit
interrupters and products containing same.”
Meir
Blonder, general counsel for Leviton, said, “We are hopeful that this
decision brings an end to importation of infringing GFCIs. Due to the nature of
the product, it is important that both commercial and residential consumers be
confident that the GFCIs available in the market are legitimate, lawful
product.”
However,
there is a bit more than included in the release. A posting to the Federal
Register lists
the ITC-named players enjoined from further infringements on Leviton’s patent:
- Menard, Inc.,
of Eau Claire, Wisconsin; - Garvin
Industries, Inc., of Franklin Park, Illinois; - Aubuchon Co.,
Inc., of Westminster, Massachusetts; - Westside
Wholesale Electric & Lighting, Inc., of Los Angeles, California; - New Aspen
Devices Corporation, of Brooklyn, New York; - American Ace
Supply Inc., of San Francisco, California; - Contractor
Lighting & Supply, Inc., of Columbus, Ohio; - Littman Bros.
Energy Supplies, Inc., of Schaumburg, Illinois; - Safety Plus,
Inc., of McFarland, Wisconsin; - Norcross
Electric Supply Co. of Suwanee, Georgia; - Royal Pacific
Ltd. of Albuquerque, New Mexico; and - Zhejiang
Easting House Electric Co. of Zhejiang, China