Kent Displays gains final patent verdict after six years

07 Aug 2002

A US court has given a final judgement on a six-year dispute over a patent covering a cholesteric LCD technology that allows images to remain on the display after the power has been removed, particularly important in portable markets.

The court ruled that Advanced Display Systems (ADS) had deliberately infringed a Kent State University patent, licensed exclusively to Kent Display Systems, and ordered ADS to pay $164,000 to KDS, not including lawyers fees and court costs.

ADS has now filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy - a plan of reorganization has to be submitted within four months.

The court also issued an injunction on third-party companies or partners of ADS selling devices incorporating technology that infringes the so-called "West patent". Kent Displays is now in the process of contacting those companies that it believes are subject to this injunction.

The dispute between ADS and Kent Displays began in 1996 when ADS filed a complaint in a US district court alleging that the West patent was invalid and that ADS did not infringe it, after which Kent Displays sued for infringement.

ADS initially prevailed in a 1997 trial but, the verdict was reversed in the US Court of Appeals and a new trial ordered. This began in December last year and resulted in the present jury verdict.