Associated Press - January 9, 2010 7:34 PM ET
FORT SMITH, Ark. (AP) - A ruling by the U.S. International Trade Commission in a patent-infringement case filed against Mitsubishi Power Systems Inc. has cleared the way for the Japanese-owned firm to build a wind-power turbine plant at Fort Smith.
The ruling Friday went against General Electric Co., which had claimed in 2008 that Mitsubishi's importation or sale of certain variable-wind turbines infringed on a GE patent.
An administrative law judge found in favor of GE in August, but the ITC rejected that finding when it closed the case Friday.
Mitsubishi Power Systems, owned by Japan-based Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Inc., announced in October its plans to build a $100 million plant at Fort Smith to assemble imported parts into windmill turbines. But those plans were endangered by the case before the ITC, which could have stopped importation of the turbine parts if the ruling had been in GE's favor.
Information from: Southwest Times Record, http://www.swtimes.com/
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