GristyMcFisty used our news submit to tell us the latest in the struggle for Philips to collect on past
due optical disc royalties that are in dispute...
 Royal Philips Electronics has been hit with a setback in its actions against alleged violations of its optical disc patents, as authorities in some European countries have ruled that the company does not have the right to demand that authorities seize DVD-R shipments, according to sources in Taiwan"s optical storage sector.
Philips has been seeking to have custom
authorities in Europe seize imports of CD-R and DVD-/+R discs whose makers
Philips claims have failed to pay royalties.
However, its actions have backfired, with
channel distributors in Europe filing countersuits against Philips, the
sources said.
Authorities in Italy and Belgium have
recently ruled that Philips" claims to patents for DVD-R are disputable
and rejected its case against distributors, the sources
said. |
Apparently, there are talks going on between the
Taiwan subsidiary of Philips and the main headquarters in Holland. In the
meantime, the Taiwan branch has opted to not comment on the issue. DigiTimes sources say that distributors in Europe plan to sue
Philips for lost revenue due to impounded shipments that were a result of
Philips complaints.
Source: DigiTimes
