The US International Trade Commission (ITC) has launched an investigation into trade practices committed by Toshiba and certain Toshiba subsidiaries based on their alleged infringement of Macronix International's patents relating to memory products, according to the Taiwan-based provider of non-volatile memory solutions.

Macronix said the patents involved in the investigation relate to manufacturing and circuit designs for flash memory, including NAND and NOR, which are used in products such as mobile devices, car navigation systems, wearable devices, digital camcorders and servers applications.

If the investigation determines that Toshiba has committed unfair practices, the ITC may issue an order to exclude Toshiba's infringing products and/or products containing such infringing components from further importation into the US, according to Macronix. The ITC may also issue cease and desist orders prohibiting further commerce in the US involving infringing Toshiba memory devices.

Macronix indicated it has devoted significant resources to the development of non-volatile memory technology over the years, and has been granted more than 6,800 patents worldwide and over 2,700 in the US.