*NEWS*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.

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February 20, 2006 at 9:54 AM