TECO re-focuses Japan expansion plan

TECO Electric & Machinery Co. Ltd is set to re-focus its expansion into the Japan market, with plans to offer a complete lineup of LCD TVs later in the year, according to its senior vice president George Lien.

By the end of 2006, the company expects to ship over 35,000 LCD TVs in Japan, more than double the 17,000 units shipped the previous year.

Late last month, TECO settled its patent dispute with Sharp Corp.

In 2004, Sharp claimed that TECO's subsidiary in Japan, Sankyo Co., released 20-inch TVs with LCD TV panels produced by AU Optronics Corp. that violated some of Sharp's LCD-TV patents.

In March 2005, Sharp retracted its original injunction and filed another lawsuit that included additional violations. A month later, TECO issued a countersuit against Sharp, asking for more than $1.5 million for supposedly damaging TECO's reputation.