Camera lens supplier Largan Precision Co (大立光) has lodged a patent infringement complaint in the US against Taiwanese companies Ability Opto-Electronics Technology Co (先進光電) and Newmax Technology Co (新鉅科), and US notebook computer vendor HP Inc.
It marked the first time Largan has filed suit to protect its intellectual property rights for lenses used in notebook computers, although about 90 percent of its revenue is derived from lenses used in smartphones.
The Taichung-based company filed the complaint with the US Eastern District Court of Texas on Wednesday last week, accusing the three companies of infringing on four of its patents, according to information posted on the district court’s Web site.
No details about the complaint were available on the Web site. However, a report by the Chinese-language Economic Daily News said that Largan is accusing Ability and Newmax of illegally using its patents to manufacture camera lenses for notebooks, with 15 HP laptop models equipped with the problematic lenses.
“Largan has claimed that Ability illegally used four of its patents in the production of camera lenses,” Ability said in a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange yesterday. “The company has never intended to infringe on patents owned by other companies. We will seek a legal approach to safeguard the interests of the company and our clients.”
Ability said in the filing that it owns 235 patents granted by the US Patent and Trademark Office.
This is the second lawsuit Largan has filed against Ability.
In 2013, it sued Ability for theft of trade secrets in Taipei.
A preliminary ruling in 2017 by the Intellectual Property Court ruled in favor of Largan and ordered Ability to pay NT$1.52 billion (US$48.9 million at the current exchange rate) in compensation.
Ability has filed an appeal.
Newmax also denied any wrongdoing, it said in a separate exchange filing on Tuesday night.
Ability and Newmax yesterday saw their shares tumble 1.41 percent and 4.23 percent to NT$48.80 and NT$102 respectively in Taipei trading, after the patent litigation was disclosed.
Largan shares edged lower 0.11 percent to close at NT$4,530.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, yesterday said its materials management head, Vanessa Lee (李文如), had tendered her resignation for personal reasons. The personnel adjustment takes effect tomorrow, TSMC said in a statement. The latest development came one month after Lee reportedly took leave from the middle of last month. Cliff Hou (侯永清), senior vice president and deputy cochief operating officer, is to concurrently take on the role of head of the materials management division, which has been under his supervision, TSMC said. Lee, who joined TSMC in 2022, was appointed senior director of materials management and
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) on Thursday met with US President Donald Trump at the White House, days before a planned trip to China by the head of the world’s most valuable chipmaker, people familiar with the matter said. Details of what the two men discussed were not immediately available, and the people familiar with the meeting declined to elaborate on the agenda. Spokespeople for the White House had no immediate comment. Nvidia declined to comment. Nvidia’s CEO has been vocal about the need for US companies to access the world’s largest semiconductor market and is a frequent visitor to China.
Hypermarket chain Carrefour Taiwan and upscale supermarket chain Mia C’bon on Saturday announced the suspension of their partnership with Jkopay Co (街口支付), one of Taiwan’s largest digital payment providers, amid a lawsuit involving its parent company. Carrefour and Mia C’bon said they would notify customers once Jkopay services are reinstated. The two retailers joined an array of other firms in suspending their partnerships with Jkopay. On Friday night, popular beverage chain TP Tea (茶湯會) also suspended its use of the platform, urging customers to opt for alternative payment methods. Another drinks brand, Guiji (龜記), on Friday said that it is up to individual
STABLE RESULTS: Despite June’s lower consolidated revenue, second-quarter sales still reached a record high, driven by demand for chips for AI applications Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday reported consolidated sales of NT$263.71 billion (US$9.02 billion) for last month, its second-lowest monthly result this year. The world’s largest contract chipmaker said in a statement that its revenue last month only fared better than the NT$260.01 billion posted in February. Last month’s figure rose 26.9 percent from a year earlier, but slumped 17.7 percent from May, the company said. However, second-quarter revenue reached NT$933.8 billion, a record high for a single quarter, company data showed. The figure represented growth of 11.26 percent from the first quarter and 38.6 percent from a year earlier. Previously, TSMC said that
RSS