Canon's U.S. court loss could cost it millions
By Aiko Wakao
TOKYO (Reuters) - When Canon Inc. (7751.T: Quote, Profile, Research) was sued by a small, money-losing U.S. technology firm two years ago, the dispute was over a patent license that had cost the Japanese electronics giant a one-time payment of $5.6 million.
But now that the lawsuit has caused Canon to lose the license, a fresh agreement with Texas-based Nano-Proprietary Inc. (NNPP.OB: Quote, Profile, Research) could be worth millions of dollars more, lawyers said.
Last week a U.S. court ruled against Canon, saying the company breached its deal with Nano-Proprietary by trying to share the flat display technology with Toshiba Corp. (6502.T: Quote, Profile, Research).
The court's decision comes as a major setback and perhaps an embarrassment for Tokyo-based Canon, the third-biggest patent owner in the United States.
