LG Dispay LCDs May Be Banned Worldwide

Who the hell is AUO?

Acer. Well not really, it was formed when Acer merged with some other company (Unipack? I wanna say, but forget).

Why did it take 77 pages to say "AUO won, LG lost"? I mean, basically wouldn't it just cover the patents being examined and why the verdict was determined as such? I can't imagine that taking 77 pages. Dunno. Legalese, I guess.

What? What do I care if this company believe the product to be "infringing"? If the product is good and support is provided, then I could not care less whether or not LG is in the middle of a court battle. I want a quality product at a reasonable price, not a sub par product with little to no quality support.

When is the U.S. Government going to step in and stop all this patient trolling? While I believe that companies and singular inventors should be paid for the use of their new and inventive products, I do not believe that people should get paid for the use of an existing product that has enough small tweaks to legally allow for a new patent.

If AUO was such a great company, then they would have a quarter of the global LCD market, not LG. This is just going to hurt consumers in the end.

I guess I should be more specific before I get flamed and marked down.

AUO formed in 2001 when Unipak Optoelectronics merged with Acer Display Technology, which was part of the Acer Peripherals Group. Acer Peripherals Group was created when Acer Computer International reorganized backing 1998.

Anyway, the Acer LCD screens we see today have little to nothing to do with AUO's LCD screens.

I might be wrong, but I read a while back that it was LG who initiated the patent trolling. Basically LG was playing Apple to AUO's HTC - competitor's product selling too well so time for lawsuits. Only here it came back and bit them in the ass.

the whole patent system needs an overhaul. There are some companies that just file lawsuits over patents they own to make money. thats all they do. Either use or lose the patent. But to just tie up the courts with frivolous lawsuits to earn a buck is ridiculous. Blood sucking lawyers and the corporate culture of today is enough to make anyone sick.

From what I read here in the article (putting a ton of faith in Kevin's journalism skills on this one), it sounded as if LG is the one who initially started the lawsuit claiming patent infringement on the part of AUO, but LG wasn't able to prove it. So AUO counter-sues and wins.

I can't say AUO was just patent trolling on this one if that's the case. LG poked them in the eye and got a good thrashing for it.

Yes this is true. LG started the trolling and AUO won. Then AUO filed their own suit and won a second time.

Anyway, I guess I should mention that AUO did produce some of the panels for Acer's non-TN LCD monitors. Mostly VA panels with the super MVA (multidomain vertical alignment) that AUO developed. The monitors didn't sell well in the US because of their price if I remember correctly.

That is an absurd claim. AUO (AU Optronics) is one of the world's largest suppliers of LCD panels. If you've ever used a monitor manufactured by BenQ, ViewSonic, Acer, Samsung, HP, or Dell, there's a good chance that you've used a display with a panel manufactured by AUO. According to the CompuWorld article linked above, AUO is the third-largest manufacturer of display panels in the world, accounting for just over 17% of of the world's market in March, 2010.

All things considered, it hardly seems reasonable to assume that this is just "patent-trolling".

have you ever seen a full patent? 1 patent could easily be over 77 pages itself. and considering how thorough the legal system has to be, they have to give reasons on each patent on why the judge decided the way he did.

Time to buy Acer stock!

I disagree. We criticize Apple for selling products that infringe on other patents. LG should not be treated any different.

Damn, this sucks! I'm quite sure that my Dell U2410 uses an LG IPS panel if I'm not mistaken... Please, DON'T KILL THE IPS!

Please Ragnar-Kon, mind your words when you said who the hell AUO is.
Who the hell are you, Ragnar-Kon? Did you know who sued who first? LG sued AUO for patent infringing. Of course, AUO countersued, and at the end, AUO won the case in the American soil.

Mark
Taiwan

Daniel, who the hell are you? The lawsuit was brought first by LGD, and then it was countersued by AUO.

The verdict made in the American soil was fair, and LGD lost the case.

Daniel, who the hell are you???????????

Mark
Taiwan

Of course, don't you know anything published by the government or lawyers is required by law to have at least 25 pages of one line each and the rest all technical jargon? It's the American way! lol jk

I think the language barrier is preventing you from understanding what he was saying. "Who the hell is X" is not the same as "Who the hell is X to ". I don't expect you to understand. But I thought I would try.



1) There is no easy fix. If you can come up with a foolproof plan, call me on my 8-ball using your crystal ball.
2) You trust the government to fix it!?? If they "fix" it, it'll be even worse than it is now. They'll probably fix it the same way they fix everything else these days - all patents will be owned by the federal government.

I am planning on buying an LG LED-LCD TV this summer. I don't give a fuck about patent infringement, I just want to buy the TV because it's a good one for a good price.

He's Daniel.

This probably would drive LCD monitor prices up? and hurting us the end users.. hopefully not..

I remember using the superb Viewsonic VX2025wm monitor not long ago and the screen was manufactured by AUO and sold to Viewsonic, and yes was a Premium MVA Panel that even kick some 5ms TN screen asses back then, and it was 8ms theorically... come on, the brands know the infrigment, they just asume that will compensate the affected company later after the lawsuit...things like this are also considered when competition is too hard to keep up by just playing nice...

Well, I like Samsung anyways.
Better not make my LG microwave any more expensive! Wait, it's not a LG either, carry on.

Taiwan FTW

Somehow I don't think the US Government has such jurisdiction in Taiwan and Korea.

American may think it runs the world, but she doesn't just yet.

What the heck? I want to get a LED LCD and LG was my first choice. My current set better hold out for the summer.

What the heck? I want to get a LED LCD and LG was my first choice. My current set better hold out for the Summer.

As for the long legal opinion, any case that is based on a interpretation of the law has to be very detailed, and the reason is not what you would first expect. The detail is required because without it more doors would be open for appeals. The judge tries to explain out every bit of reasoning because if a question was left unanswered it would be a question for an appeals court. It is sad because redundancy must occur in order to avoid going back to square one and starting over.

If selling the panels in the US gets stopped, I guess the rest of us might get some cheap(er) product while the stock gets shifted around. It would seem more likely that there'd be some sort of settlement instead of a sales ban, if it were going to come to that.

I also agree on the point someone was making above - where you've got two manufacturers of a high(ish)-tech product there's a decent chance that a patent dispute isn't just trolling. To be sure you'd need to read the patents involved and the court details (background info as well as ruling, although I think the rulings should note the most relevant details)

"Taiwan-based AU Optronics (AUO) is trying to halt the import and sale of LG Display LCD panels across the globe.

I wish people would pay attention to articles they post about.

Oh, feeling the need to bash americans eh? You do know this case was held in the US, right?

Don't you feel foolish?




Umm.. You should pay attention as well, since this is probably what he was talking about:
"Now AUO is warning consumers not to purchase "unauthorized infringing products from LG for sale or use in the U.S. without the need for further court action."

The title of the article on Computerworld is "Taiwan firm to seek U.S. import ban on LG Display LCD panels". Again.. this court case was held in the US, thanks.

Wait, so if I buy an LG panel I'm practically pirating it?

Someone please explain why I should care if the product infringes on another company's patents. They can sort that out themselves, I'll buy what I feel like buying.