Toshiba Sues 17 Companies Over DVD Patents

Toshiba filed a complaint with the International Trade Commission and sued 17 companies in U.S. District Court, alleging that the companies are infringing on patents related to DVD technologies.

The actions were filed mainly against Chinese and Korean based manufacturers. Toshiba asks that the court halt the imports of DVD players, recorders, and other DVD related products into the United States.

All suits were filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on April 6. The action with the ITC was filed on the same day. Toshiba said in a statement that it has no licensing agreements with any of the companies named in the suit.

"The infringement of Toshiba's patents by these companies has damaged Toshiba's DVD-related business, and also caused damage to the legitimate and licensed DVD product manufacturing and distribution business as a whole," it said Monday.

Most consumers would be familiar with South Korea's Daewoo, one of the companies listed in the suit. However, several lesser-known companies are named as well, including multiple Dongguan subsidiaries, Starlight of Hong Kong, and several Tonic subsidiaries.

The monetary damages sought by Toshiba are not being disclosed, and a company spokesperson has declined to elaborate. The companies involved in the suit have also declined comment.