Segway Patent Complaint May Lead To Ban On Most Hoverboard Imports

Thanks to the Consumer Product Safety Commission and countless reports of spontaneous combustion, we know that hoverboards are wildly unsafe to ride. Now we learn that they're even unsafe to import into the US because of possible patent infringement. As CNET reports, Segway — a technology relegated to mall cop and tour group duty — has struck back against today's hot boards with a patent complaint.

Specifically, the complaint relates to the self-balancing technology hoverboards and Segways both appear to employ. As such, the US International Trade Commission has issued a ban on import of "certain personal transporters" that could infringe on the technology.

Many if not most of the hoverboards we see in the US are manufactured in China, and in its General Exclusion Order, the ITC flagged 13 foreign companies selling the boards including popular makers PowerUnion and Robstep. However, the Order could pertain to far more than just the companies listed, Consumerist remarks, putting a virtual damper on the blazing hot trashfire of hoverboard popularity altogether.

Related: Feds: All Hoverboards Are Unsafe