Apple and nine other firms have been added to a patent infringement lawsuit bought against Dell.
Typhoon Touch Technologies is alleging Apple and others have infringed on patents it holds on touch-screen computing.
Typhoon’s complaint alleges that defendants have infringed and continue to infringe its US Patent 5,379,057 issued 3 January, 1995 and entitled “Portable Computer with Touch Screen and Computer System Employing Same,” and US Patent No. 5,675,362 issued October 7, 1997 and entitled “Portable Computer with Touch Screen and Computing System Employing Same."
It launched litigation over the alleged infringements in December 2007 against Dell. Now, Typhoon has added Apple, Fujitsu, Toshiba, Lenovo, Panasonic, HTC, Palm, Samsung, Nokia and LG Electronics to the list of companies it is litigating against.
“The addition of these defendants is a further step in protecting Typhoon’s IP from being unfairly exploited. Hopefully, the world of potential infringers will take notice that it is the company’s intent to aggressively protect its intellectual property,” said Typhoon's director of legal affairs and licensing, Hofheimer, Gartlir & Gross lawyer, Craig Weiner.
“As alleged in the amended complaint, Typhoon believes that numerous defendants are selling and/or offering for sale - what could be millions of devices - which may infringe Typhoon’s patents.”
Typhoon Touch Technologies and its licensee and co-plaintiff, Nova Mobility Systems, previously reached an out-of-court settlement with Motion Computing and recently completed a settlement with Electrovaya, wherein Electrovaya recognized the validity of Typhoon’s patents at issue in the litigation, acknowledged infringement of one or more of the patent claims and made an undisclosed royalty payment of at least 20 per cent on past and future sales of its Scribbler Tablet PC’s in the US.
Typhoon seeks damages for lost profits as well as a permanent injunction from continued infringing activity by the defendants.
The case will be heard in the US District Court, Eastern District of Texas, Tyler Division.
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