Patent infringement

Toshiba has filed a formal complaint with the International Trade Commission (ITC) against 17 manufacturers and importers of DVD players, DVD recorders and other DVD-related products, as a means to halt infringement of its DVD patents.

Toshiba's has requested that the ITC prohibit those companies named in the complaint from importing DVD players, DVD recorders and other DVD-related products into the US.  In a related move, Toshiba also filed suit in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, seeking damages resulting from the infringement of Toshiba's DVD patents by the same 17 companies.

The 17 companies named in the complaint and the lawsuit do not have license agreements with Toshiba or the DVD6C Licensing Group, an industry body representing nine leading developers of DVD technology and formats that licenses essential DVD patents. And Toshiba claims that they have engaged in the import and sale of DVD products without permission.