Moving to protect its lucrative printer cartridge business, Seiko Epson has filed patent infringement lawsuits against two companies that manufacture replacement cartridges for its printers.
Seiko Epson claims that certain cartridges made by Arcor, of Nantes, France, and Multi-Union Trading, of Hong Kong, infringe on several of its cartridge-related patents.
Seiko Epson, along with two U.S. affiliates, filed lawsuits against each of the companies in the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon in Portland.
The complaint against Arcor was filed Monday. It alleges that more than 30 cartridges produced by Arcor and its U.S. and German subsidiaries infringe on Seiko Epson patents.