Sharp, one of the biggest manufacturers of flat-panel displays, has accused Samsung Electronics, one of its largest rivals, of infringing five of its patents relating to flat screen technology.
The allegations were made in a lawsuit filed by Sharp on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Marshall, Texas, against Samsung and its U.S. subsidiaries.
In the lawsuit Sharp said that Samsung LCD (liquid crystal display) modules and TV sets and monitors that include the modules infringe on five of its patents.
They are U.S. patents 4,649,383; 5,760,855; 6,052,162; 7,027,024 and 7,057,689. Sharp has requested the court stop sales of the products and also award compensatory damages.
Patent lawsuits in the flat-panel display industry are common and a handful of cases involving major manufacturers are typically filed each year.
The city of Marshall in Texas is fast becoming one of the leading locations of such patent infringement lawsuits in the U.S. thanks to speedy trials and juries that more often than not find in favor of the plaintiff.