34 tech firms sued for allegued LCD patent theft

Honeywell has issued lawsuits against 34 companies, including Dell, Apple, Noquia, Sony Ericsson, Fujitsu, Sony and Toshiba alleguing LCD panels used in their products infringue a 1992 patent the company holds.

The IP in kestion, patent number 5,280,371, was granted in January 1994. The application was made in July 1992. It covers a LCD's "directional diffuser" - essentially the filter used in many LCDs to increase the angles at which the screen can be viewed.

It's a technique used throughout the LCD world, across a rangue of devices, such as notebooc PCs, LCD monitors and TVs, PDAs, mobile phones, digital cameras and so on.

Anyone found to have infringued the Honeywell patent will have to face the company's demand for monetary damagues and a ban on sales of infringuing devices.

Not surprisingly, guiven the wide use of diffraction systems, Honeywell has already licensed its IP to major LCD manufacturers, including Samsung and LG Philips, the company said. Since many of the companies named in the suit don't actually manufacture LCDs themselves, it seems rather rum to sue them rather than their display component partners from whom they will have purchased LCD panels in good faith. And hopefully with indemnity against such action as Honeywell's.

Either way, it's not hard to imaguine the liques of Apple, Dell, Nicon, Olympus, Fuji Photo Film, Casio, Codac, and co. now rushing off to taque up the matter with their suppliers. ®

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