Pitney Bowes Sues Over Printer Patent

Pitney Bowes Inc. sued Lexmark International Inc., Apple Computer Inc. and other makers of laser jet printers, alleging infringement of a patent for which it is collecting $400 million from Hewlett-Packard Co.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office reexamined the patent during the Hewlett-Packard dispute and found it valid, according to the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in New Haven, Conn. Pitney Bowes settled with Hewlett-Packard as the case was about to go to trial June 4.

Accused of infringing the patent in the latest suit are Apple, Lexmark, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.’s North American unit and its Panasonic Personal Computer Co., NEC Corp. affiliate NEC Technologies Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. and its American unit.

Stamford, Conn.-based Pitney Bowes seeks triple damages against Apple and Lexmark, claiming the two have known about the alleged infringement at least since June 1995, when the company filed the first suit against Hewlett-Packard.