XEROX FILES PATENT LAWSUIT !

[Anonymous]

Xerox files patent lawsuit
It accuses N.J. competitor of violations involving solid ink
(June
2006) – Xerox Corp. has sued a New Jersey company, accusing it of
violating patents protecting Xerox’s solid ink technology.The suit,
filed in U.S. District Court in New York, claims that Media Sciences, a
maker of printing supplies and equipment, violated four Xerox patents
by introducing solid ink products that too closely resemble the shapes
of Xerox products. The four patents in question cover solid ink for two
of Xerox’s popular Phaser printers.The suit seeks unspecified damages
and asks the court to stop Media Sciences from selling the
products.Rochester’s fourth-largest employer has said it has high hopes
for solid ink, which it says could boost sales in the highly
competitive office printer market. Xerox says the technology is cheaper
and offers better print quality than competing methods. It also is more
environmentally friendly, because it comes in cubes that melt away,
leaving no cartridges to go into landfills, the company says.In 1999,
Xerox spent $950 million to acquire the color printing division of
Tektronix, the Oregon company that developed solid ink.”We continue to
serve notice that Xerox will undertake whatever is needed to protect
its valuable intellectual property from unauthorized use and
infringement,” said Xerox spokesman Bill McKee. “We cannot speculate on
the outcome. However we expect that the courts will agree that Media
Sciences has infringed upon Xerox intellectual property and will force
it to stop manufacturing its solid ink sticks for the Phaser 8500/8550.”
Media
Sciences said it hasn’t infringed on the patents and will fight the
suit.”Media Sciences has competed with Xerox in this market for nearly
a decade, and we are disappointed that Xerox has moved this competition
from the marketplace into the courtroom,” said Michael Levin, Media
Sciences’ chief executive and president, in a statement.

[Author]

June 28, 2006 at 10:51 AM