Honeywell LCD patent suit targets PC industry

Aerospace manufacturer, Honeywell International, has filed suit against 34 PC and mobile phone companies that it claims are infringing on its patents for liquid crystal display (LCD) technology.

The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the District of Delaware, claimed that the 34 companies were using proprietary Honeywell technology that controls the brightness of LCD screens and reduces interference, Honeywell said.

This technology appeared in products such as notebooks, mobile phones, personal digital assistants, and digital cameras, among other things, the company claimed.

LCD manufacturers LG Philips LCD and Samsung Electronics have already taken a license for Honeywell's technology, it said.

The defendants include a who's who list of PC and electronics companies, such as Apple, Dell, Fujitsu, Nikon, Sony, and Toshiba. Hewlett-Packard was noticeably absent from the list.

This was the first lawsuit that Honeywell had filed against companies that it believed were infringing upon its LCD technology, a Honeywell spokesperson said.

The company might file additional lawsuits in the future, he said.

A Dell spokesperson, citing a company policy, declined to comment on pending litigation.

Representatives from HP and Gateway did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment.

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