Pioneer sues Samsung for patent infringement

Legal action taken after talks on licensing fell through

25 September 2006 16:03 GMT / By Amber Maitland

Pioneer Corporation is suing Samsung in the US for patent infringement over technology used in plasma display panels. Samsung plans to file a counter-suit in reply.

The Japanese company hopes that the court will issue an order to force Samsung to stop selling plasma display panels and to pay compensation for allegedly violating Pioneer’s patent on technology that boosts the quality of the display and for a manufacturing process that increases the brightness.

Samsung is also in the courts with Matsushita and Fujitsu, and was previously in discussion with Pioneer about licensing technology. The suit was filed after the talks ell through.

LG and Matsushita settled a similar patent dispute in 2005 by signing a cross-licensing agreement.

A Samsung spokesperson assured Reuters that the case wouldn’t affect Samsung’s sales and output; in other words, the threat of a court order hasn’t discouraged the company from continuing to market its products.

Via Reuters