Matsushita, Samsung, Nokia face Bluetooth suit

Consumer electronics giants Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Samsung Electronics Co. and Nokia Corp. are being sued by a U.S.-based research group, which claims they infringed a series of patents surrounding Bluetooth wireless technology, reports MarketWatch.

The suit, filed in federal court in Seattle, Wash., claims Matsushita, Samsung, and Nokia should have obtained a license before adopting the technology for use in such devices as mobile handsets. The suit was filed by the Washington Research Foundation, which said it was acting on behalf of the University of Washington, reports MarketWatch.

The suit claims the university had secured a license from Broadcom that covers any consumer devices that employ Bluetooth chipsets Broadcom makes. The suit alleges the three consumer companies had sold devices based on a chipset technology made by Britain's CSR, which the plaintiff said doesn't have a proper license, reports MarketWatch.