Vizio Sues LG For Patent Infringement

By Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 6/8/2009

Irvine, Calif. — Value TV manufacturer Vizio filed a patent-infringement lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland against LG Friday, charging the Korean electronics manufacturer with infringing “numerous Vizio patents” in components it sells, including high-definition televisions.

Vizio is seeking an injunction to ban LG from importing and selling offending TVs in the United States. It is also seeking an award of damages for past infringing sales.

The action follows LG’s suit of Vizio last September for violating certain LG patents on DTV over-the-air reception technologies.

LG had not responded to requests for comment as this was posted.

Vizio’s actions against LG Electronics also expand the legal action Vizio started with a recent patent-infringement lawsuit against Funai Electric for similar alleged offenses.

In the Funai case, Vizio said the manufacturer used infringing systems for the reception and handling of QAM digital cable signals. Vizio recently acquired the patents from Motorola after facing an International Trade Commission (ITC) order to stop importing televisions that it said violated patents held by Funai Electric on the reception and handling of over-the-air digital TV broadcast signals.

Funai has sought to have Vizio barred from importing its TVs for allegedly infringing the patents, which it acquired from Thomson. Vizio has sought an appeal of that ruling in court, which last week denied a bid by Funai to delay the case, Vizio said in a statement.

Executives for Funai could not be reached for comment.

Sony, meanwhile, moved proactively in filing a suit with the federal District Court in Southern California to find any Vizio claims to patents invalid.