Creative Technology files patent claims

In its first quarter ended Sept 30, Creative Technology posted a net loss of US$6.2 million - an improvement over the US$13.9 million loss in the same period last year. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG

Creative Technology said its wholly owned subsidiary ZiiLabs has filed a complaint against seven chipmakers with the United States International Trade Commission.

In a statement last Saturday, the home-grown sound card maker said it is seeking injunctions against Qualcomm, Sony, Motorola, MediaTek, LG, Lenovo and AMD.

Parallel patent-infringement lawsuits have also been filed against the seven companies in the Eastern District of Texas.

ZiiLabs, which owns over 80 patents in the graphics, processor and 3D spaces, is seeking damages and injunctions.

Four of these patents have been asserted in the complaint and lawsuits filed last Friday.

Creative has been pursuing legal actions in the US to assert its intellectual property rights.

Last September, it disclosed that ZiiLabs had filed a patent-infringement lawsuit against tech firm ARM. Creative had previously announced that Intel, Apple and Samsung had each taken a non-exclusive licence to ZiiLabs' patents.

The company's finances remain mired in red ink. In its first quarter ended Sept 30, Creative posted a net loss of US$6.2 million - an improvement over the US$13.9 million loss in the same period last year.

Sales for the quarter fell by 23 per cent to US$17.3 million.

While the overall market for its products is expected to remain challenging, Creative reckoned that its revenue for the second quarter is likely to be higher, owing to the holiday season.

Creative shares ended unchanged at 96.5 cents last Friday.


Correction note: This story has been updated for clarity.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on December 19, 2016, with the headline Creative Technology files patent claims. Subscribe