Panasonic has been sued by Samsung over claims it is infringing patents covering plasma television display panels.
Samsung SDI, the world’s largest plasma display maker, said in its lawsuit filed Dec. 5 in federal court in Los Angeles that Matsushita the Company that owns Panasonic is violating six patents for the screens, Matsushita, based in Japan, said this month it will increase plasma panel production capacity 44 percent, to 425,000 from 295,000, to meet demand for its Panasonic-brand televisions. Its facility for the 42-inch screens near Osaka is the world’s biggest plasma display-making plant.
Matsushita and Panasonic are “importing and otherwise making available products, systems and apparatus that infringe the aforementioned Samsung patents in connection with plasma display panel,” the lawsuit said. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages. It also seeks to invalidate Matsushita patents covering plasma screens and denies Matsushita’s claims in a separate lawsuit that Samsung is infringing Matsushita’s patents.
Matsushita spokesman Jim Reilly and Samsung SDI spokesman Jeff Newelt declined to immediately comment.
The case is Samsung v. Matsushita, No. 05-8493, in U.S. District Court for the Central District of California
