Samsung SDI Co, the world's second-largest plasma-display maker, had its panels barred from entering Japan by customs officials acting on a complaint from Fujitsu Ltd that the screens use technology that infringes its patents.
The ban is effective for two years from yesterday, said a Tokyo Customs Headquarters public relations executive who declined to be identified. The customs action was reported yesterday morning in Japan's Mainichi newspaper.
Lawsuits were filed by Tokyo-based Fujitsu in the US and Japan earlier this month against Samsung Electronics and its units, including Samsung Japan Corp and Samsung SDI.
Samsung SDI expected the move "as it's part of the routine process after Fujitsu's complaint," said Bryan Sohn, a spokesman for Samsung SDI in Seoul.
Fujitsu makes plasma-display panels and has said it holds about 800 patents for the screens. It has licensing agreements on plasma-display patents with Japanese companies such as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co and Pioneer Corp.
Fujitsu sought an injunction earlier this month against the import and sale of Samsung's plasma panels in Japan.
Samsung SDI in March asked a US district court to nullify patents held by Fujitsu related to plasma-display technology, a legal document showed. Samsung SDI also sought an injunction in March against Fujitsu and its affiliates barring them from suing SDI on at least eight patents, according to the document.
Global revenue from plasma displays jumped 84 percent to US$1.87 billion in the first quarter, compared with US$1.01 billion a year earlier, El Segundo, California-based technology researcher Isuppli Corp said in a quarterly report on Tuesday. Shipments more than doubled to 477,000 units from 207,000 screens a year earlier, it said.
NETWORK-MAPPING PROJECT: The database contains 170 detailed files of Taiwanese politicians and about 23 million records of household registration data in Taiwan China has developed a network-mapping project targeting political figures and parties in Taiwan to monitor public opinion during elections and to craft tailored influence campaigns aimed at dividing Taiwanese society, according to documents leaked by Chinese technology firm GoLaxy (中科天璣). The documents, collected by Taipei-based Doublethink Lab, showed a database was specifically created to gather detailed information on Taiwanese political figures, including their political affiliations, job histories, birthplaces, residences, education, religion and a brief biography about them. Several notable Taiwanese politicians are in the database, including President William Lai (賴清德), former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍),
RECOGNITION: Former Fijian prime minister Mahendra Chaudhry said that Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy serves as a stabilizing force in the Indo-Pacific region Taiwan can lead the unification of the Chinese people, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former Polish president Lech Walesa said in Taipei yesterday, adding that as the world order is changing, peaceful discussion would find good solutions, and that the use of force and coercion would always fail. Walesa made the remarks during his keynote address at a luncheon of the Yushan Forum in Taipei, titled “Indo-Pacific Partnership Prospects: Taiwan’s Values, Technology and Resilience,” organized by the Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Walesa said that he had been at the forefront of a big peaceful revolution and “if
North Korea tested nuclear-capable rocket launchers, state media reported yesterday, a day after Seoul detected the launch of about 10 ballistic missiles. The test comes after South Korean and US forces launched their springtime military drills, due to run until Thursday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday oversaw the testing of the multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS), the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The test involved 12 600mm-caliber ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies, it said. Kim said the drill gave Pyongyang’s enemies, within the 420km striking range, a sense of “uneasiness” and “a deep understanding
North Korea yesterday fired about 10 ballistic missiles to the sea toward Japan, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, days after Pyongyang warned of “terrible consequences” over ongoing South Korea-US military drills. Pyongyang recently dashed hopes of a diplomatic thaw with Seoul, Washington’s security ally, describing its latest peace efforts as a “clumsy, deceptive farce.” Seoul’s military detected “around 10 ballistic missiles launched from the Sunan area in North Korea toward the East Sea [Sea of Japan] at around 1:20pm,” JCS said in a statement, referring to South Korea’s name for the body of water. The missiles
RSS