Toshiba Files DVD Patent Suit in Italy

The Japanese electronics giant is chasing down an Italian company that allegedly distributed DVD discs without paying the piper.

Little-known fact: You may be able to burn up a stack of DVDs in your basement without paying a dime, but manufacturing and selling DVDs without the necessary licensing will bring down the wrath of some big companies you probably don’t want to be dealing with. The Italian company ACME found that out on Thursday, when Toshiba formally brought charges against it for patent infringement in a Milan court.

Toshiba, one of the nine companies that form the DVD 6C licensing agency, owns patents related to DVD technology which must be licensed by DVD distributors through DVD 6C prior to manufacturing and selling discs. The Japanese company alleges that ACME has failed to do so before selling DVD discs, and seeks damages for lost business as well as a future licensing agreement.

It wouldn’t be the first time that Toshiba has cracked down on DVD distributors that haven’t gone through the proper channels to sell their products. An American importer and wholesaler found itself under the gun in 2005, 17 manufacturers and importers were targeted this April, and most recently, a German disc replicator was dinged with a lawsuit in July.