LCD television manufacturer Sharp filed a complaint against defendants Vizio and other companies in its supply chain for patent infringement arising from the alleged use of patented LCD display technology. The suit was filed in the California Central District Court. Sharp is represented by K&L Gates. Sharp, according to its complaint, has created numerous liquid crystal display (LCD) innovations. The company claims that its “intellectual property is the backbone of Sharp’s commercial success.”
Each of the defendants allegedly infringed upon these patents in some way. For example, Sharp learned that the defendant CHOT is “making, using, importing, offering to sell, and selling” infringing LCD panels. Defendant TPV is “acting in concert with CHOT… [to]…manufacture, import, and sell televisions that further infringe Sharp’s patents.” The infringing televisions are sold to Vizio, who “infringes when it offers the televisions to consumers in retail outlets throughout the United States. Sharp claims to have asked Vizio to stop infringing but was unsuccessful; it alleges financial harm as a result of the said infringement.
The patents in suit pertain to LCD displays. The ’300, ’206, and ’959 patents “generally describes and claims a liquid crystal display device.” The ’704 patent “describes and claims a liquid crystal display with a cured material in the liquid crystal layer.” The ’907 patent “generally describes and claims a liquid crystal display device with a polymer formed between two substrates with a plurality of threshold voltages associated with a plurality of areas within the display.” The ’556 patent “describes and claims a circuit structure with a wiring pattern on a base film of a printed circuit board.” The ’994, ’490, ’239, and ’275 patents “describes and claims a liquid crystal display device with micro-structures directionally configured with respect to a polarizer layer and an analyzer layer.” The ’634 patent “describes and claims a liquid crystal display with a cured material formed on vertical alignment films.” The ’079 patent “describes and claims a liquid crystal display device with an electrode arrangement comprising micro-electro parts.” Sharp has accused the defendants of infringing on the claims of these patents through the creation and construction of their LCD screens.
Sharp has sought injunctive relief, as well as an award for damages including loss of profits and reasonable royalty and other relief as determined by the court.