Matsushita Electric Industrial filed for an injunction last week to halt sales in Japan of LG Electronics’ plasma panels. This is the latest in a series of legal disputes between Japanese and Asian electronics makers over flat-panel technology, Reuters reported.
A representative of Matsushita, the maker of Panasonic products, said LG Electronics’ plasma panels infringed on Matsushita patents relating to heat-radiation technology. Japan-based Matsushita has also asked customs officials to halt imports of plasma display panels made by the South Korean company.
Matsushita’s legal action follows a number of other disputes between Japanese electronics makers and Asian rivals on technology used in flat panels, which have strong growth potential as consumers trade in their bulky cathode-ray tube models.
Sharp said in June it was suing the Japanese unit of Taiwan appliance maker TECO Electric and Machinery, alleging patent infringement on LCD technology.
In April, Fujitsu filed a countersuit against Samsung SDI of South Korea in a California court, claiming patent infringements on PDP technology.