Patent infringement disputes in the United States are not only heard in district courts. The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), an administrative agency delegated with responsibility over trade disputes, also decides high-stakes intellectual property disputes—with the remedy for the IP rights holder not being damages, but rather an exclusion order that can block a competitor's importation of infringing articles into the U.S. That remedy can be incredibly powerful for companies engaged in stiff competition in the U.S. market.