14 DAY TRIAL // About 51 companies that used to exhibit their products at the CeBIT trade show have been raided by the German authorities on grounds of patent violations. The raid resulted in the police seizing multiple exhibits, including cell phones, navigation devices, and other tech products that were suspected to have infringed legit patents.
More than 180 police and customs officials took part in the raid, and revealed no less than 51 exhibitors were showcasing devices that affected some registered patents. Among the seized products, there were devices with MP3, MP4, or digital video broadcast functions, DVD players as well as blank CDs and DVDs. The police filled 68 boxes with gadgets and documents or marketing material.
Associated Press reports that the raid came as a response to a rising number of "criminal complaints by the holders of patent rights in the run-up to CeBit." The legit patent holders claimed that they had warned the companies in due time and asked them to purchase licenses.
One of the first targets of the raid was the Chinese iPhone "clone" manufacturer Meizu. However, it turns out that the iPhone clone was not the main "attraction", but rather its portable MP3 player. The United States trade law does not enforce seizure of goods on grounds of patent infringements, but instead, they seize certain goods because of intellectual property violations.
"Because of the difficulty in determining issues of patent infringement, we don't have criminal prosecutions (or raids or seizures) for patented inventions (unlike trademark counterfeiting and copyright piracy which are easier to determine)," claimed the United States Patent and Trademark Office spokeswoman.
Twenty people were required to pay a security deposit of 1,000 Euro ($1,533) each. According to the police, everybody would comply, except for one, that has been taken for questioning. The involved parties could face a jail sentence of up to five years or a fine if found guilty.