Compaq in court of over alleged patent violation

Updated at 5.25pm, Wednesday: The world's biggest PC supplier, Compaq has been taken to court over an alleged infringement on a mainland-registered notebook computer patent, Xinhua News Agency reported on Wednesday.

At the first court hearing held yesterday at the Intellectual Properties Court under the Beijing High People's Court, Compaq was accused of applying a mainland PC design patent to its Compaq Armada notebook model since 1995 without authorization from the patent co-owners, Ma Xiguang and Shenzhen-based Triangle Industrial, according to the Xinhua report.

Ma and Shenzhen Triangle Industrial claimed that they lodged an application as early as in April 1990 with the Patent Administration of China for their patent over a new notebook computer design with unique extension slot and detachable battery.

They said the administration later granted patent status to the technology in April 1991 and recognised Ma and Triangle Industrial as the co-owners of the patent in June 1997.?

They showed to the court that Compaq allegedly used the patent on its Armada 1550T model, which has been sold on the mainland during over the past five years.

During the hearing, they demanded 34 million yuan in compensation but Compaq rejected the claim during heated exchanges, Xinhua said.

The hearing will continue at a date to be confirmed.