LG Electronics Inc. was accused in two lawsuits by Sony Corp. of infringing eight patents for technology used in liquid-crystal display televisions and monitors.

Sony filed two new complaints, each listing four patents, yesterday in federal court in Los Angeles. The Tokyo-based electronics maker said LG’s 32LD350 LCD television and E2360V LCD monitor are among the products that infringe its technology.

The new lawsuits come after LG filed two complaints with the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington on Feb. 4 seeking to block U.S. sales of Sony Bravia televisions and PlayStation 3 consoles because they allegedly make use of LG’s patented technology.

The case further escalates a conflict that began when Sony, Japan’s biggest exporter of consumer electronics, brought cases in Los Angeles federal court and to the ITC on Dec. 28 against Seoul-based LG, the world’s third-largest maker of mobile phones. The two companies each get more than 20 percent of their revenue from North America. The ITC has the power to block imports of products that violate U.S. patents.

The ITC is investigating claims that LG mobile phones infringe seven Sony patents. The LG phones named include the Lotus Elite, Neon, Remarq, Rumor 2 and Xenon. The ITC does not have the power to order financial damages. In the new lawsuits filed in Los Angeles, Sony seeks triple damages for willful infringement.

LG and Sony are the world’s second- and third-largest TV makers, trailing Samsung Electronics Co.

John Taylor, a spokesman for LG Electronics USA, did not immediately return a call to his office after regular business hours yesterday. 

(Bloomberg)