LG Sues Quanta

LG on Wednesday announced that it had filed a lawsuit in a Wisconsin court against Taiwan's Quanta, accusing the electronics manufacturer of patent infringement relating to DVD technology for notebooks. Quanta is said to have used four of LG's patents without permission when producing slim DVD readers for notebooks specifically destined for the US. No American computer builders were named in the statement but may include large-scale manufacturers such as Apple and Dell, many of whom contract to Quanta for at least some of their portable computers.

The suit is not expected to pose an immediate concern for US PC makers but may force those affected by the suit to change suppliers for their DVD drives if LG wins and Quanta is unable to license or alter its technology. LG had previously but unsuccessfully filed a complaint against Quanta for a separate infringement in 2000, but in announcing its recent suit expected the US court to rule in its favor.

By Electronista Staff