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LG sues world’s largest laptop PC maker over DVD patents

LG Electronics Inc. has filed a lawsuit against the world’s largest contract manufacturer of laptop PCs over the infringement of four patents related to DVD technology, the company said Wednesday.

The South Korean electronics maker is seeking an injunction against Taiwan’s Quanta Computer Inc. to put a stop to its use of the technology, as well as cash compensation. The suit was filed in U.S. District Court, Western District of Wisconsin on July 3, LG said.

LG alleged that Quanta has been using the infringing technology to produce laptop PCs that have been supplied to U.S. computer vendors. Quanta counts Hewlett-Packard Co., Dell Inc., and a number of other PC vendors among its customers.

The two companies have another outstanding lawsuit in the U.S. on which LG expects a decision in the first half of 2008. LG sued Quanta in the U.S. District Court of Northern California in 2000 over the alleged infringement of PC-related patents. Originally, the trial court decided in favor of Quanta, but the U.S. Court of Appeals overturned the verdict. LG said it expects the ruling in this case to be in its favor.

Quanta declined to immediately comment on the lawsuit.

LG holds 5,000 international patents on DVD technologies, it said.