MATSUsh*tA SUES SAMSUNG

[Anonymous]

Matsush*ta sues Samsung
SEOUL
– Japan’s Matsush*ta Electric Industrial has filed a legal suit against
South Korean electronics giant Samsung Electronics over alleged patent
infringement, according to Samsung Tuesday.
Samsung said in a
regulatory filing that Matsush*ta’s suit filed to the Marshall Division
court in the state of Texas in the United States was a counter claim to
Samsung’s suing of the Japanese company last September over an alleged
patent breach.
Samsung said that it intends to prove in court that the Japanese company’s allegations are baseless.
Meanwhile, reversing a Japanese lower court decision, the
Intellectual
Property High Court acknowledged Tuesday that a recycled-goods importer
infringed on Japan-based Canon’s patents by importing and selling
refilled printer ink cartridges.
The court issued an injunction on
imports and sales of the cartridges, as Canon demanded. It also ordered
that the recycled cartridges be disposed of.
Recycle-Assist Co had
imported from China and sold Canon brand cartridges that were refilled
with ink. The point at issue in the case was whether this constituted
production of a patented product, which is prohibited under patent law.
“Regarding
patented products, if components that make up the essential part of an
invention are processed or replaced, then the patent holder can demand
an injunction or other measures,” Chief Judge Katsumi Shinohara
explained.
The process of cleaning the inside of a cartridge and
refilling it can be said to be performing essential parts of the
manufacturing process that Canon invented, such as ways to prevent ink
leaks, according to Shinohara.
Recycle-Assist, which had argued that recycling is good for the environment, said it would consider appealing the decision.
In
December 2004, the Tokyo District Court had ruled that Canon’s patents
were not infringed on because refilling ink is within the scope of
repairs.

Matsush*ta, Samsung patent dispute escalates
Matsush*ta
of Japan has sued South Korean rival Samsung Electronics in a US court
for alleged violation of microchip patents, an AFP report said.
Quoting
a company spokesman, the AFP report said Matsush*ta Electric
Industrial, known for the Panasonic and National brands, brought action
before a federal court in Texas, seeking damages, which were not
disclosed.
The report said the patents in question are for DRAM, the most commonly used semiconductor memory product.
DRAM
is used in products ranging from personal computers and printers to
mobile phones, TVs, game consoles, and digital music players, the
report said.
The DRAM patent rows between the two electronics
heavyweights date back to a suit Matsush*ta filed in New Jersey in
January 2002, which is still pending in court, the report said.
The report said the two firms are also in a legal fight in plasma display panel technologies.
Unit
Samsung SDI filed a patent violation lawsuit against Matsush*ta in
California and Pennsylvania in early December last year, prompting the
Japanese rival to take a counter action late in the month, the report
said.

[Author]

February 20, 2006 at 9:55 AM