Update: Honeywell LCD patent suit targets PC industry

Aerospace manufacturer Honeywell International Inc. has filed suit against 34 PC and mobile phone companies that it says are infringing on its patents for LCD (liquid crystal display) technology.

The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, claims that the 34 companies are using proprietary Honeywell technology that controls the brightness of LCD screens and reduces interference, Honeywell said in a press release. This technology appears in products such as notebooks, mobile phones, personal digital assistants, and digital cameras, among other things, according to the Morristown, New Jersey, company.

LCD manufacturers LG Philips LCD Co. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. have already taken a license for Honeywell's technology, the company said.

The defendants include a who's who list of PC and electronics companies, such as Apple Computer Inc., Dell Inc., Fujitsu Ltd., Nikon Corp., Sony Corp., and Toshiba Corp. Hewlett-Packard Co. and Gateway Inc. were noticeably absent from the list.

This is the first lawsuit that Honeywell has filed against companies that it believes are infringing upon its LCD technology, a Honeywell spokesman said. The company may file additional lawsuits in the future, he said.

A Dell spokeswoman, citing a company policy, declined to comment on pending litigation. Representatives from HP and Gateway did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment.