Create a free Manufacturing.net account to continue

Supreme Court Takes Up Lexmark Patent Suit

The high court's decision on Monday keeps alive an ongoing dispute between the Lexington, Ky.-based maker of printing and imaging products and software and Static Control Components, a Sanford, N.C. company that specializes in remanufacturing laser printer toner.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) -- The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to take up a case over Lexmark International's patent on microchips inside its printers.

The high court's decision on Monday keeps alive an ongoing dispute between the Lexington, Ky.-based maker of printing and imaging products and software and Static Control Components, a Sanford, N.C. company that specializes in remanufacturing laser printer toner.

Lexmark appealed a March 2012 decision by the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals to reinstate a trademark infringement lawsuit brought by Static Control against Lexmark.

The dispute centers on microchips placed inside toner cartridges sold by both Lexmark and Static Control. The two companies have been battling in court for a decade over Static Control refilling and selling Lexmark products.

More in Industry 4.0