Sharp files display patent suit against HannStar

Sharp Corp sued HannStar Display Corp. for alleged violations of four patents covering LCDs at a Texas district court, according to a Reuters report.

The Japanese company said it seeks compensation and a court order to block future sales of HannStar LCD panels and television sets using such panels. Sharp claimed that Taiwan-based HannStar failed to pay licensing fees owed under a three-year agreement that expired in December 2006.

The Tokyo District Court has ordered the HannStar to pay the amount due in a ruling in December last year. The Taiwan LCD maker has appealed the ruling.

Sharp trailed behind Sony Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd in LCD TVs in Q1, while HannStar has been locked in a licensing dispute over LCD panels for PCs in Japan.