The United States International Trade Commission has announced that it has received a complaint regarding intellectual property infringement with respect to smart televisions made by China’s TCL, according to a notice on its website. TCL’s Vietnam-based subsidiary TCL Smart Device (Vietnam) is named as one of a number of respondents.
TCL has had a presence in Vietnam since 1999. Its headquarters in the country are in Binh Duong, next door to Ho Chi Minh City, on which the firm has spent US$45 million and at which it employs 2000 staff. The facility is expected to make an estimated 6 million units this year most of which are destined for the US market. In this context, this trade investigation in the US could have a significant, adverse impact on Vietnam, depending on the outcome.