BABY PRODUCT MAKER DROPS PATENT INFRINGEMENT SUIT.Byline: Gregory J. Wilcox Staff Writer Munchkin munchkin - /muhnch'kin/ [Squeaky-voiced little people in L. Frank Baum's "The Wizard of Oz"] A teenage-or-younger micro enthusiast hacking BASIC or something else equally constricted. Inc. has withdrawn its patent infringement patent infringement n. the manufacture and/or use of an invention or improvement for which someone else owns a patent issued by the government, without obtaining permission of the owner of the patent by contract, license or waiver. lawsuit against rival baby products maker Luv N' Care Inc. of Monroe, La. Munchkin dismissed the suit in a terse Terse - Language for decryption of hardware logic. ["Hardware Logic Simulation by Compilation", C. Hansen, 25th ACM/IEEE Design Automation Conf, 1988]. filing Oct. 5 in Federal Court in Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . The Van Nuys-based company had initially claimed that Luv N' Care had infringed on its patent for a nipple nipple - Trackpoint cleaning and bottle cleaning brush system. But Luv N' Care maintained that what Munchkin claimed as exclusive was actually a product similar to one produced by Royal Industries in Thailand, sold under the Pur name and distributed by Playskool as early as 1987, said Luv N' Care attorney James A. Zellinger. Now Luv N' Care may counter-sue Munchkin for unspecified damages, he said, because several big clients, including Wal-Mart, stopped ordering products because of the flap. ``We are exploring all of our options and not ruling that out,'' Zellinger said of possible legal action. He did not know how much revenue was lost because of the action. Munchkin's attorney, Patrick F. Bright, filed for dismissal of the suit. He refused to comment on the case. Steven Dunn, Munchkin's president and chief executive officer, did not return phone calls seeking comment. The company filed its lawsuit in July. |
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