Antenna Maker Sues 10 Handset Vendors For Violating Patents
May 06 2009 - 1:34PM
Dow Jones News
Fractus S.A., a Spanish manufacturer of antennas for cellphones,
has sued 10 handset makers for violating its intellectual
property.
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (005930.SE), LG Electronics Inc.
(066570.SE), Research in Motion Ltd. (RIMM), Palm Inc. (PALM), HTC
Corp. (2498.TW), UTStarcom Inc. (UTSI), Sharp Corp. (SHCAY), Sanyo
Corp. (SANYY), Kyocera Corp. (KYO) and Pantech Wireless Inc. were
named as defendants.
In a lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Texas, Fractus
alleged the handset companies violated nine patents related to
internal antennas used in cellphones.
An attorney for Fractus said he believes it's a broader
issue.
"It is not all internal antennas," said Justin Nelson of Susman
Godfrey L.L.P., who noted that the effective dates for some of the
patents go back as far as 1999.
Most of the companies couldn't be reached for comment. LG and
Kyocera declined to comment, while UTStarcom noted that it had sold
off its cellphone business last year.
Intellectual property battles aren't uncommon in the wireless
industry. Companies routinely sue each other over the use of
technology.
-By Roger Cheng, Dow Jones Newswires; 201-938-2020;
roger.cheng@dowjones.com