A Taiwan-based electronic company has recently filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple over allegation that the American firm has infringed the copyright for its touchscreen panel, according to the New York Times.
On Tuesday, the Taiwanese firm Elan Microelectronics Corp. has filed the infringement case before the US District court in Northern, California.
Élan officials accused Apple of violating the patent law and said that iPod Touch music player, iPhone smartphone, iBook, and MacBook and PowerBook laptops were based from its patented inventions.
In the complaint, the Taiwan-based firm which focuses on semiconductor products and designing gadgets said that all of the Apple’s devices which have the touch-sensitive technology are based on its patented touchscreen panel that has been designed to detect fingers that will allow users to provide input faster and more conveniently.
Élan also said that Apple’s infringement activities have caused the company “irrepararable” damages, adding that the court should stop such violation which had caused billions of dollars of revenue loss on the part of the Taiwanese firm.
Meanwhile, the two electronic companies had been previously discussing licensing agreements but failed to come up with an agreement.
Three years ago, Elan had also filed a lawsuit to another US-based electronic giant Synaptics over the alleged violation of patent law. In 2008, the two companies have reached a common ground and decided to go into a cross-licensing agreement.
When asked for comments, Apple declined to provide statement regarding the lawsuit.
According to technology experts, touchscreen has been increasingly becoming popular for consumers since it provides more convenient and faster application.
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