Compaq and Packard Bell settle patent litigation.HOUSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 18, 1996--Compaq Computer Corporation (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :CPQ CPQ Compaq CPQ Conseil du Patronat du Québec (Canada) CPQ Configure-Price-Quote CPQ Conseil de Presse du Québec (Québec Press Council, Canada) CPQ Companion Parrot Quarterly ) and Packard Bell Electronics, Inc. announced today that they have settled all patent litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. between the companies and reached a patent license agreement. Compaq had sued Packard Bell for 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. in November 1994 in federal court in Houston. Last month, Packard Bell's wholly owned subsidiary Wholly Owned Subsidiary A subsidiary whose parent company owns 100% of its common stock. Notes: In other words, the parent company owns the company outright and there are no minority owners. , Zenith Data Systems Zenith Data Systems (ZDS) was a division of Zenith founded in 1979 after Zenith acquired Heathkit, who had, at that time, recently entered the personal computer market. Zenith sold personal computers under both the Heath/Zenith and Zenith Data Systems names. Corporation, sued Compaq for patent infringement in federal court in Delaware. As part of the settlement, each lawsuit will be dismissed. Neither party admitted any fault in either case. The settlement will require Packard Bell to pay an undisclosed license fee to Compaq over the next five years. The terms of the settlement are confidential. Compaq and Packard Bell each expressed satisfaction with the settlement, which marks the end of all current litigation between the companies. Compaq Background Compaq Computer Corporation (company) Compaq Computer Corporation - The largest US manufacturer and vendor of IBM PC compatible personal computers and servers. Compaq was started in 1982 by three ex-Texas Instruments employees. Quarterly sales $2499M, profits $210M (Aug 1994). http://compaq.com/. is the world's largest supplier of personal computers, offering desktop PCs, portable PCs, servers and options. Founded in 1982, the company reported 1995 worldwide sales of $14.8 billion. Compaq products are sold and supported in more than 100 countries through Compaq marketing partners, and sold directly to customers through Compaq DirectPlus at 1-800-888-5858. Compaq provides 24-hour customer support and can be reached through the Compaq forums on America Online, CompuServe, Internet (http://www.compaq.com) and Prodigy, or by calling 1-800-OK-COMPAQ. Product information and reseller locations can be obtained by calling 1-800-345-1518. -0- Compaq, Registered U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. CONTACT: Compaq Computer Corporation Nora Hahn, Mike Berman 713-514-0484 nhahn@bangate.compaq.com or Miller/Shandwick Technologies Donna Ruane 617-536-0470 druane@millercom.com |
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