HP Takes Acer to Court on Patent Infringement Claims

Hewlett-Packard sued computer maker Acer on Tuesday accusing the company of illegally using patented HP technology in a variety of desktops, laptops and displays sold in the U.S.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Texas, accuses Taiwan-based Acer of infringing on five patents registered by HP between 1997 and 2003. The patents cover a range of PC technologies involving DVD editing, processing capabilities, and power consumption and efficiency.

Palo-Alto based HP is asking the court for unspecified damages and an injunction prohibiting Acer from selling any of the items that are based on the patented technologies in the U.S.

HP said in a statement that the lawsuit is a "necessary action to protect its intellectual property against unauthorized use. HP respects the intellectual property rights of others and expects the same treatment in return."

An Acer spokeswoman in San Jose did not immediately return a call seeking comment. HP declined to comment on whether it suspects any other computer makers of using the patented technologies.

HP surpassed struggling rival Dell last year as the No. 1 seller of PCs worldwide. Acer is currently the fourth-largest PC maker in the world.