A lawsuit filed against Japan’s Canon by a U.S. company could scupper Canon’s plans to jointly produce a new type of television with Toshiba, according to Japanese press reports.The televisions are based on surface-conduction electron-emitter display (SED) technology, which is a flat-panel display said to offer richer colors, faster response and generally better picture quality than both liquid crystal display (LCD) and plasma display panel (PDP) technologies. Canon and Toshiba have been promising SED-based televisions for some time, but the launch of the products has been delayed because of problems perfecting the technology.Current plans call for a limited launch in 2007 and wider availability in 2008.However, those plans could be thrown into jeopardy leading to longer delays, according to weekend press reports. At stake is whether the production joint venture, a company called SED, is a Canon subsidiary. Canon owns 50 percent of the company plus one share, while Toshiba holds the remainder. Because it holds the extra share, Canon believes the company is a subsidiary.The question is important because part of the SED technology being used has been licensed to Canon by Nano Proprietary of Austin, Texas. Nano Proprietary filed a lawsuit against Canon in Texas in 2005 asserting that SED isn’t a Canon subsidiary because, it argued, Toshiba still has decision-making power over the joint company. That would mean the existing patent license doesn’t cover transfer of the technology to SED and that an additional payment is required. In November the court declined to recognize the company as a Canon subsidiary.As a result, Canon is considering increasing its stake in SED, according to a report in the Saturday-morning edition of the Nihon Keizai Shimbun business newspaper. A report in Monday’s Asahi Shimbun said Canon is planning to pull out of joint production plans and that an official announcement is due later in the month.Both companies could not be immediately contacted due to the New Year holiday in Japan.-Martyn Williams, IDG News Service (Tokyo Bureau)Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content opinion The Importance of Identity Management in Security By Charles Pelton Nov 28, 2023 5 mins Cybercrime Artificial Intelligence Data Management brandpost Sponsored by Rocket Software Why data virtualization is critical for business success Data is your most valuable resource—but only if you can access it fast enough to address present challenges. Data virtualization is the key. By Milan Shetti, CEO of Rocket Software Nov 28, 2023 4 mins Digital Transformation brandpost Sponsored by Rocket Software The hybrid approach: Get the best of both mainframe and cloud Cloud computing and modernization often go hand in hand, but that doesn’t mean the mainframe should be left behind. A hybrid approach offers the most value, enabling businesses to get the best of both worlds. By Milan Shetti, CEO Rocket Software Nov 28, 2023 4 mins Digital Transformation brandpost Sponsored by Rimini Street Dear Oracle Cloud…I need my own space Access results from a recent Rimini Street survey about why enterprises are rethinking their Oracle relationship and cloud strategy. By Tanya O'Hara Nov 28, 2023 5 mins Cloud Computing Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe