Sharp on January 24 filed a complaint with the US International Trade
Commission against Taiwanese company AU Optronics and certain
customers of AUO that manufacture LCD TVs and LCD monitors.
Sharp also filed a lawsuit against AUO at the United States District
Court for Delaware. Sharp said that it intends to file additional
lawsuits in the event it confirms that other products incorporating
AUO's LCD panels or LCD modules infringe its patents.
In the two complaints, Sharp alleges that the LCD panels and LCD
modules manufactured by AUO, and any LCD televisions and LCD monitors
sold by AUO's customers in the US that use these LCD panels and LCD
modules, infringe upon certain patents owned by Sharp which relate to
LCD technology.
The patents are related to a liquid crystal display apparatus for
controlling alignment of the liquid crystal in order to improve
viewing characteristics; a method of fabricating a liquid crystal
display device including a pixel electrode having fine slits; a
liquid crystal display device having a phase compensation element to
achieve a wide viewing angle; an LCD device having a wide viewing
angle; circuitry that may be advantageous in that flickering or the
like may be reduced and display characteristics improved; an LCD
device and its drive method, and in particular to a driving technique
which improves the response time to achieve better picture quality
and an active matrix substrate for use in connection with a display
device such as a liquid crystal display.
At the ITC, Sharp seeks an order prohibiting imports and sales of
these products in the US. At the US District Court for Delaware, in
addition to this, Sharp seeks compensatory damages with AUO as the
only defendant.
AU Optronics has declined to comment regarding the infringement
lawsuit from Japan-based Sharp as the company in the quiet period
prior to its investors conference.