Epson Battles the Aftermarket and Wins
Court Rules PrintRite Brand Remanufactured Cartridges Infringe
Epson’s Patents
According to a news release
from Epson,a federal judge has issued a summary judgment ruling in a patent
infringement lawsuit against Multi-Union Trading Co.Ltd. that decisively holds
that the defendant’s ink cartridges infringe Epson’s patents. The lawsuit was
brought in April 2001 in Portland, Ore., by Epson America Inc., Epson Portland
Inc. and Seiko Epson Corp. against Multi-Union Trading Co. Ltd., a Hong
Kong-based company that is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of
aftermarket ink cartridges. The infringing cartridges are often sold in the
United States under the PrintRite brand and in generic packaging.
Rejecting the defendant’s
arguments of non-infringement and patent invalidity, the Court found that 23
models of cartridges sold for use in Epson printers infringe Epson’s principal
patent claims.
However, according to
Associated Press reports, the judge did not order that the inkjet cartridges
made by Print-Rite Holdings, Multi-Union Trading Co. and Dynamic Print USA Inc.
be removed from the market. Instead, a trial is scheduled for September on
several defenses against the claims and a request for monetary damages made by
Epson.
A cursory review of the decision reveals that the Court found that
patented technology for dot matrix printers also includes inkjet printing
technology, as Epson had argued.