Japanese electronics giant Hitachi said it is taking to court a number of Taiwan computer makers for alleged patent violations on a monitor after talks among the companies broke down.

Hitachi said it filed the suit in a US federal court in northern California seeking an unspecified amount of damages and a halt to sales of PC monitors that allegedly infringed its patent. "We have negotiated for several years with the companies to reach an agreement on a license but we failed to conclude a deal due to the large gap in our positions," Hitachi said in a statement.

It named in the suit Amtran Technology, Proview Electronics, Tatung and their related companies.