Like it or not, self-balancing personal transporters, commonly branded as hoverboards, are extremely popular in America. Yes, there have been instances when the devices have burst into flames, and yes, they don't really hover despite what their name suggests.
However, they did manage to capture the interest of consumers, and despite the controversy surrounding the devices, hoverboards remain very much in demand, especially among the younger generation.
Not if Segway could help it.
On an announcement on Wednesday, the U.S. International Trade Commission stated that it is issuing a general exclusion order on a number of types of the controversial devices. The order was initiated as a result of a 2014 complaint by Segway, which stated that the self-balancing devices infringed on a number of the company's patents.
Segway, which has made a name for itself as a company which made widely hyped self-balancing scooters that never really took off, is the holder of numerous patents. Among them is Patent No. 8830048, which involves devices with a drive, wheels, a "sensor for sensing the pitch of the user support," "yaw input" and a "control loop" for determining torque.
Unfortunately for the makers of the controversial devices, the patent does cover most of the characteristics of hoverboards. After all, the devices do closely resemble a Segway, minus the original machine's handlebars and bulky appearance, of course.
Segway's original patent appeal named 13 different companies during its complaint in 2014. During the course of the proceedings, five of the 13 managed to get the cases against them terminated by reaching settlements or consent orders with Segway.
Other hoverboard makers, namely UPTECH, UP Technology, UP Robotics, FreeGo China and EcoBoomer, have defaulted on the complaint and thus are subject to the ITC's order. Roboscooters, the only one among the 13 which opted to defend itself in court, ultimately lost the case and is also subject to the ruling.
The other companies that were originally named in Segway's complaint - Ninebot, Robstep, Shenzhen Inmotion, Tech in the City and FreeGo USA -have settled.
Perhaps the most interesting company in Segway's complaint is Ninebot, however, as the Beijing-based firm ironically purchased Segway in 2015. After the merger, Ninebot ultimately decided to push through with Segway's complaint against the other hoverboard makers.
Of course, nothing is final as of writing, since the president would still need to approve the ITC's decision within the next 60 days. For now, however, it seems very likely that Segway has managed to prevent the influx of the foreign hoverboards from entering the U.S. market.
