SanDisk Sues to Enforce Memory System Patents

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SanDisk Sues to Enforce Memory System Patents

SanDisk has announced the filing of three patent infringement actions against 25 companies that manufacture, sell and import USB flash drives, CompactFlash cards, multimedia cards, MP3/media players and/or other removable flash storage products. The actions, filed in the United States District Court in the Western District of Wisconsin and in the United States International Trade Commission ("ITC"), allege that the defendants have infringed various SanDisk system-level patents, and seek damages and a permanent injunction in the federal court actions, as well as a permanent exclusion order from the ITC banning importation of the products into the United States.

"These actions demonstrate SanDisk's long-term commitment to enforcing its patents, both to protect our investment in research and development by obtaining a fair return on that investment, and out of fairness to third-parties that participate in our patent licensing program", said E. Earle Thompson, Chief Intellectual Property Counsel at SanDisk. "Our goal is to resolve these matters by offering the defendants the opportunity to participate in our patent licensing program for card and system technology. Otherwise, we will aggressively pursue these actions, seeking a prompt judicial resolution awarding damages, obtaining injunctive relief and banning importation of infringing product."

In the ITC action, SanDisk is suing numerous companies for infringement of five SanDisk patents, including:
- ACP-EP Memory;
- A-Data;
- Apacer;
- Behavior Computer (d/b/a Emprex);
- Buffalo;
- Chipsbank;
- Corsair Memory;
- Dane-Elec;
- Edge;
- Imation/Memorex;
- Interactive Media (d/b/a Kanguru);
- Kaser;
- Kingston;
- LG Electronics;
- Phison Electronics;
- PNY;
- PQI;
- Silicon Motion;
- Skymedi
- Transcend;
- TSR (d/b/a T.One);
- USBest;
- Verbatim;
- Welldone Company;
- Zotek/Zodata (d/b/a Huke).

In the first Wisconsin District Court case, SanDisk is suing numerous companies for infringement of the five patents also at issue in the ITC complaint, including:
- ACP-EP Memory;
- A-Data;
- Apacer;
- Behavior Computer (d/b/a Emprex);
- Buffalo;
- Chipsbank;
- Corsair Memory;
- Dane-Elec;
- Edge;
- Imation/Memorex;
- Interactive Media (d/b/a Kanguru);
- Kingston;
- LG Electronics;
- Phison Electronics;
- PNY;
- PQI;
- Silicon Motion;
- Skymedi;
- Transcend;
- TSR (d/b/a T.One);
- USBest;
- Verbatim;
- Welldone Company;
- Zotek/Zodata (d/b/a Huke).

In the second Wisconsin District Court case, SanDisk is suing numerous companies for infringement of an additional two patents that are not involved in the ITC action or the first Wisconsin District Court case, including:
- A-Data;
- Apacer;
- Behavior Computer (d/b/a Emprex);
- Buffalo;
- Dane-Elec;
- Kingston;
- Phison Electronics;
- PQI;
- PNY;
- Skymedi;
- Silicon Motion;
- Transcend;
- USBest;
- Verbatim;
- Zotek/Zodata (d/b/a Huke).

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