ASML Files Lawsuit Vs Nikon Over US Patent Dispute
Wednesday February 4, 1:02 pm ET
AMSTERDAM -(Dow Jones)- Dutch semiconductor-equipment company ASML Holding NV (ASML) said it Friday filed a lawsuit in the U.S. to challenge a patent ruling made in favor of Japanese company Nikon Corp. .
The lawsuit, lodged in a Washington DC court, relates to a decision by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, or PTO, on two patents held by ASML.
ASML is one of the biggest producers of lithography tools used by semiconductor manufacturers, such as Intel Corp. (NasdaqNM:INTC - News) , to print circuits on wafers.
Nikon claims it invented these technologies and filed applications to the PTO to receive the patents covering them.
After a proceeding last December in which both ASML and Nikon were given the opportunity to explain why they believed the technology belonged to them, the PTO ruled in favor of Nikon.
"We feel like we have to protect our intellectual-property rights, and that's why we started a lawsuit to dispute Nikon's claims in a U.S. court," ASML spokesman Tom McGuire said.
Nikon officials weren't immediately available for comment.
ASML's move highlights the ongoing tussle between both companies in the market for semiconductor-equipment technology. It has resulted in different lawsuits in the U.S., Japan and South Korea.
In 2003, on a separate patent-related matter, Nikon appealed a ruling by the U.S. International Trade Commission that ASML didn't infringe Nikon patents in the U.S. market.
McGuire downplayed the importance of ASML's recent move, saying: "Filing an appeal is just another step in these kinds of patent cases which is regarded as standard operating procedure."
He refrained from giving further details of the latest lawsuit filed in Washington. A timeframe for a hearing isn't known. |
