SanDisk sues a score of flash storage vendors

SanDisk is suing 25 companies for infringing on its patents on removable flash storage devices.

The flash memory maker filed a suit with a U.S. District Court in Wisconsin and another with the U.S. International Trade Commission Wednesday evening, seeking damages, a permanent injunction and an order from the ITC banning the importation of the products.

SanDisk is suing other memory vendors that make products like this CompactFlash card.

(Credit: SanDisk)

The roll call of the companies is a long one, but here goes: ACP-EP Memory, A-Data, Apacer, Behavior Computer, Buffalo, Chipsbank, Corsair Memory, Dane-Elec, Edge, Imation/Memorex, Interactive Media, Kaser, Kingston, LG Electronics, Phison Electronics, PNY, PQI, Silicon Motion, Skymedi, Transcend, TSR, USBest, Verbatim, Welldone Company and Zotek/Zodata.

SanDisk says it's just enforcing its patents to be "fair" to the companies that already license its technology for flash storage devices. "Our goal is to resolve these matters by offering the defendants the opportunity to participate in our patent licensing program," said E. Earle Thompson, SanDisk's chief intellectual property counsel, in a statement. If the 25 companies don't get on board and pay SanDisk to license the patents in question, Thompson promises to "aggressively pursue" legal damages and a ban on the importation of the named companies' products.

[Anysia]

Just a question

Did Seagate sue Western Digital,Fujitsu, Maxtor, or Hitachi for making and selling hard drives? <br /><br />I don't know about them being the first makers of compact flash, as over the years I have gotten them, they have been Panasonic, or Kingston. There were no SanDisk until very recently around my location.<br /><br />Instead of suing to make more money, how about just making good product that will keep people coming back? As things stand, I will stick with Kingston.<br /><br />Funny thing, I don't see Panasonic or Kodak listed, and they also manufacture and sell compact flash and sd cards.

[aaydogan]

...another third rate company making......

second rate products and trying to make money through litigation <br />instead of innovation.