Samsung Electronics Co. said Thursday it filed a complaint with American authorities by alleged unfair trade practices by Japanese rival Sharp Corp., fueling an intensifying legal battle by flat panel technology.

Samsung said in a statement that it filed the complaint with the United States worldly Trade Commission on Dec. 21, claiming that Sharp and two U.S. subsidiaries imported and sold liquid crystal display products that infringe on four of Samsung’s U.S. patents.

The complaint came after Sharp earlier that month sued Samsung in a South Korean court, plus alleging patent violations for LCDs. It demanded damages and a halt to manufacturing and sales of affected TVs and display panels.

In August, Sharp filed a similar lawsuit against Samsung in federal court in the U.S. state of Texas. Samsung said Thursday it was pursuing federal lawsuits in Texas and Delaware against Sharp.

The string of lawsuits amidst the two companies — two of the world’s biggest makers of

LCD panels — highlight the bruising competition to develop better technology for products like hot-selling flat screen TVs.

Samsung said its complaint calls on the Washington-based trade commission to launch an observation and order that Sharp products that allegedly infringe on Samsung’s patents — including LCD TVs, monitors, notebook computers and mobile phones — be kept out of the U.S. market.

“Samsung has and will continue to vigorously protect itself against the infringement and unauthorized use of its intellectual property,” Samsung said.

Separately, Samsung plus said it asked the Tokyo District Court on Wednesday to prohibit the manufacture and sale in Japan of Sharp LCD TVs it claims incorporate technology that allegedly violates two Japanese patents owned by Samsung.

“Sharp is prepared to take appropriate legal countermeasures once it studies the complaints,” company official Akinori Shibuya said from Osaka, where Sharp is headquartered, referring to both the trade commission filing…

Orginal post by Top Tech News