What are the patent infringements that they sued about?
Unable to find details. Were these companies manufacturing using Magnequench patented process?
How can they sue for patent infringement?
National defense industries are EXEMPT from the patent laws or copyright laws.
SONY, DELL, WAL-MART ACCUSED OF PATENT INFRINGEMENT
Claiming intellectual property abuse in Asia, specifically in China, Korea and Taiwan, Magnequench International Inc, the patent holder and a world leader in the manufacturing of specialized magnetic powders and magnets, filed suit in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware and a second suit in Indianapolis against 13 major electronic, office products and computer firms in the United States and Asia, as well as Wal-Mart.
Accused of patent infringement were some of the world's leading computer and electronics companies, including Sony Corp, Eastman Kodak, Dell Corp, Acer Inc, ASUS Computer International, Iomega Corp, LG Electronics, Lite-On Technology Corp, Memorex Products Inc and TEAC Corp. Wal-Mart also was charged as a retailer selling infringing products.
Magnequench asks the court for an injunction to prohibit the importation of further infringing materials as well as treble damages.
The subject matter of the lawsuits involves neodymium-iron-boron (Nd-Fe-B) magnets and magnetic materials used in most popular consumer electronic products, as well as in automotive and industrial applications.
In this instance, the alleged patent infringement centers on computer and media memory systems such as CD-ROMs and DVDs.
http://www.taborcommunications.com/dsstar/04/0309/107586.html