A rising Chinese electronics company is suing technology groups Hewlett-Packard and Toshiba over alleged infringements of its patents, highlighting the growing risk of lawsuits from Chinese groups asserting intellectual property rights.
Beijing Huaqi Information Digital Technology, better known by its brand name Aigo, has accused HP and Toshiba of violating six patents for USB Plus, a storage port technology used in many laptop computers.
According to a complaint seen by the Financial Times, Aigo is demanding damages of Rmb1m ($146,000) from HP. Its lawyers sent letters to HP and Toshiba in China on March 12 demanding they start negotiations within seven days, as well as to Samsung, Sony and Dell.