The Latest Vizio Legal Scuffle: A settlement with Sony

Boy, Vizio seems to attract the legal battles like few others companies in recent memory (besides Apple). The very latest involves Sony and has a happy ending: they’ve settled for who knows how much money and promises made, but a settlement is a good thing for both companies in this case. Usually its Vizio doing the suing as we reported a few months back regarding their feud with Funai.

Vizio was sued by Sony in October 2008 for using patented Sony technologies, and the two went back and forth for awhile until reaching this latest settlement.

Press release from Vizio: Link

A spokesman for Sony contacted several blogs regarding this issue, and was quoted as saying:

In October 2008, Sony filed a litigation against Vizio in the Federal District Court for the Central District of California for infringement of fourteen of Sony’s patents related to color televisions and PC monitors. The parties have now settled all current patent litigation between them, with Vizio becoming a paying licensee under Sony’s patents for color televisions and PC monitors. Additionally, under the settlement, during its term, Sony will be licensed under any patents that Vizio purchased this year related to color televisions, as well as any they may own in the future that are related to color televisions or PC monitors.

Hopefully, Vizio can stay out of court for awhile and continue making solid TVs at affordable prices.