HP pitches Acer another sueball
Print storyHP v Acer 2: Electric Boogaloo
Posted in PCs & Chips, 23rd April 2007 19:15 GMT
Hewlett-Packard has filed yet another lawsuit with Taiwan-based PC maker Acer, alleging more patent shenanigans. Last month, HP slapped Acer and with a lawsuit regarding infringement of five patents used in HP notebooks, desktops and media center systems. Now HP's open palm has moved inversely for a litigation backhand smack of five more infringements for good measure.
The new furious five involve power consumption, bus operations, resolution detection, and two concerning temperature management in laptops and desktops. The patents were filed by HP between 1994 and 2005.
The lawsuit was brought to the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.
As with the complaint before, the suit seeks to halt Acer expanding sales in the US. Hewlett-Packard is currently the largest PC vendor worldwide, but Acer is the fastest growing.
Last month, Acer struck up a deal with electronics retailer Best Buy to sell five of its PCs. Analysts also suspect the company is in talks with other retailers. It's clear HP hopes to nip this potential major US player in the bud with the lawsuits.
Perhaps in honor of Earth Day, HP's statement regarding the latest lawsuit is a recycled, only slightly re-worded copy of their last release against Acer. The "zinger" is exactly the same: "HP respects the intellectual property rights of others, and we expect the same treatment in return." ®
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