Cypress Semiconductor have moaned to the US International Trade Commission trying to get imports of routers and switches made by Alcatel-Lucent,  Motorola, and Ericsson banned from the Land of the Free.

The filing targets products that contain static random-access memory chips supplied by GSI Technology, which Cypress said infringes four of its patents. Arrow Electronics, which distributes GSI circuits, was also named in the law suit. The argument is over devices used to store instructions or data. Cypress came up with an idea which allows larger memory to be stuffed into a small cell. 

Five patents are involved and are all connected to Static Random Access Memories. Cypress claims that GSI and Arrow copied its idea and flogged the technology onto the big telcos who are also bringing the technology into the country. Cypress wants to block imports of all GSI chips made in Taiwan and that will include those which are under the bonnet of phones.

According to an  ITC statement a review of the case would likely take 15 to 18 months.