International Trade Commission

The International Trade Commission (ITC) is not a company but an independent, quasi-judicial federal agency of the United States government. Officially named the United States International Trade Commission (USITC), it was established by Congress on September 8, 1916, as the U.S. Tariff Commission and was renamed in 1974. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the agency is led by six commissioners nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate for nine-year terms. The ITC's mission is to administer U.S. trade remedy laws, provide independent analysis on trade matters to the President and Congress, and maintain the U.S. tariff schedule.

The ITC's primary function is to investigate and adjudicate matters of international trade. This includes determining the impact of imports on U.S. industries and directing actions against unfair trade practices. A significant part of its work involves "Section 337 investigations," which address claims of intellectual property infringement, such as patent and trademark infringement, by imported goods. If a violation is found, the ITC can issue powerful remedies, most notably exclusion orders that direct U.S. Customs and Border Protection to block the infringing products from entering the United States, and cease and desist orders against the sale of infringing goods already imported.

As a quasi-judicial body, the ITC acts as a forum for litigation rather than as a plaintiff or defendant in the traditional sense. In the provided data, the ITC is listed as a defendant in one case, Bissell Inc. v. International Trade Commission. This posture reflects the standard process for appealing the agency's final decisions. Parties dissatisfied with an ITC ruling in a Section 337 investigation, like Bissell, can appeal the determination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, naming the ITC as the defending agency in the appeal.

The noted case, Bissell Inc. v. International Trade Commission, stemmed from a Section 337 complaint Bissell filed against manufacturer Tineco for patent infringement related to wet-dry floor cleaners. The ITC issued a limited exclusion order for some of Tineco's products but found that redesigned products did not infringe. Bissell's appeal to the Federal Circuit challenged the ITC's finding on the redesigned products. The Federal Circuit ultimately affirmed the ITC's decision. This case highlights the ITC's central role as an adjudicator in import-related intellectual property disputes and the subsequent appellate review process where it becomes the named defendant.