Federal regulator sides with Lexmark in toner-cartridge patent case

The U.S. International Trade Commission this week sided with Lexington-based Lexmark International and ruled the printer maker's U.S. patents have been violated by the importing of some replacement laser toner cartridges.

The organization issued a general exclusion order and cease and desist orders that ban the import and sale of specific replacement cartridges that were found to violate at least 15 Lexmark patents.

"Lexmark has made substantial investments in research and development of our laser toner cartridge technology to ensure that our customers receive the best possible quality and value," said Robert Patton, Lexmark vice president and general counsel, in a statement. "The decision by the ITC is an important milestone in our ongoing effort to protect that investment and our customers from products that violate the intellectual property laws."

The ITC's orders will take effect after a standard 60-day presidential review period. Lexmark officials said in a statement that its employees "will coordinate with U.S. Customs & Border Protection on enforcement of the ITC's orders, and will work vigorously to prevent any continuing infringement."

In filing the complaint with the ITC last year, Lexmark simultaneously sued 24 companies that it alleged had infringed on its patents. It announced this year that it had reached settlements with 10 of the 24 companies.

This story was originally published October 1, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Federal regulator sides with Lexmark in toner-cartridge patent case."