Funai/Vizio Legal Feud Continues

Greg Tarr -- TWICE, 7/31/2009

Osaka, Japan - The legal tennis match in the ongoing patent infringement dispute between Funai Electric and Vizio took another volley Thursday, when the International Trade Commission (ITC) and the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit both denied motions to stay the ITC's remedial orders that were filed by Vizio and several other TV importers.
Funai said the rulings "mark a major achievement in Funai's quest to end patent infringement by Vizio and other television manufacturers."
The Federal Circuit had previously issued a temporary stay as it considered issuing a permanent stay pending the appeal of the ITC's exclusion order. Funai said the Federal Circuit lifted the temporary stay and ruled "that Vizio has not met its burden to obtain a stay of the judgment" of the ITC.
"Customs must now fully enforce the ITC's exclusion order against the digital televisions manufactured by Vizio, TPV and the other respondents in the ITC investigation as required by law," Funai said in a statement.
Vizio, however, contended that it has reworked its sets to exclude any allegedly infringing technology, and will continue to import the modified products without disruption.
Other companies barred in the order from importing or selling infringing digital television products in the U.S. include the following:
AmTRAN Technology Co., Ltd (Taiwan); Proview International Holdings, Ltd. (Hong Kong); Proview Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. (China); Proview Technology, Inc. (U.S.); TPV Technology, Ltd. (Hong Kong); TPV International (USA), Inc. (U.S.); Top Victory Electronics (Taiwan) Co., Ltd (Taiwan); Envision Peripherals, Inc. (U.S.); Syntax-Brillian Corporation (U.S.); and Taiwan Kolin Co., Ltd (Taiwan).