(Associated Press via NewsEdge) Three major electronics makers have been accused of violating patented work from the University of Washington with their use of the Bluetooth wireless technology found in millions of computers, cell phones and headsets.
Japan's Matsushita Electric Industrial, South Korea's Samsung and Finland's Nokia were accused of illegally incorporating unlicensed Bluetooth chip sets in a variety of products. The federal lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and an injunction barring the companies from selling those products.
Matsushita, known globally for its Panasonic brand products, and Samsung produce a wide range of electronics products, while Nokia is the world's largest manufacturer of cellular telephones.
The lawsuit was filed late last month in US District Court in Seattle by the Washington Research Foundation, a nonprofit group that seeks commercial uses and enforces patents for technology developed at Washington's universities and nonprofit research institutions.
Analysts said that consumers likely won't be affected by the legal wrangling.
Defendants would be quick to settle if it appeared the case was immediately threatening their product lines, said Rob Enderle, principal analyst with the Enderle Group.
But Enderle said Broadcom of Irvine, California, the only chip manufacturer that has licensed the technology, stood to profit mightily until the dispute is resolved.
He also said timing was fortuitous, coming just ahead of next week's International Consumer Electronics Show, when many buyers and sellers are making design decisions about future products.
Nokia officials, following long-standing policy, would not comment on the lawsuit. A Samsung representative acknowledged that the lawsuit had been filed but would not comment further. No one answered a telephone call to Matsushita after business hours.
© 2007 The Associated Press
© 2007 Dialog, a Thomson business. All rights reserved