ViewSonic Prevails In Patent Dispute

ViewSonic, Walnut, Calif., said a London patent judge ruled against claims that its products violated LG Philips' U.K. Patent GB2346464B, titled, “portable computer." The judge found that ViewSonic and Tatung didn&'t violate the patent with products including the ViewSonic VX2000 and the Tatung CCTV.

According to ViewSonic, the judge refused to let LG Philips amend the patent and dismissed the company's claim. The judge also ruled that even if LG Philips could amend its patent, it would be invalid "for lack of inventive step and should be revoked" and that, in any event, the existing patent wasn't infringed. The judge told LG Philips to reimburse its two rivals for the costs of litigation, pending appeal.

A similar U.S. lawsuit filed in Delaware by LG Philips against ViewSonic and Tatung is pending, a ViewSonic spokesman said.

A spokesman for LG Philips didn&'t immediately respond to a request for comment.