innovate arkansas

The U.S. International Trade Commission announced late Friday afternoon that it would extend it investigation into a patent infringment claim by General Electric Co. until Jan. 8. 

Bloomberg.com released a story Friday that said GE's drive to prevent Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. from bringing its wind turbines into the United States "may hinder Arkansas's plan to become the 'Silicon Valley of wind manufacturing.'"

The article goes on to note how Arkansas has worked to bring wind-related industries into the state, pointing to LM Glasfiber and Nordex. In October, Mitsubishi Power Systems Americas Inc., a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, announced it planned to build a wind turbine manufacturing facility at Fort Smith.

The company estimated the investment at $100 million and said as many as 400 jobs could be created.

The Bloomberg story said that GE, which it described as the biggest wind-turbine manufacturer in the United States, alleges that Mitsubishi is infringing on GE patents. GE's case is before the U.S. International Trade Commission, which had been expected to announce its decision Friday.