Gertrude Neumark Rothschild goes after a who's who

[21 MARCH 2008: ENGADGET READERS AND OTHERS, PLEASE GO HERE FOR UPDATED INFORMATION.]

[26 MARCH 2008: VERSION 1 OF MY GERTRUDE NEUMARK ROTHSCHILD TIMELINE IS HERE.]

Or, "honk if you WEREN'T named by Rothschild."

Bloomberg provides a summary:

Sony Corp., Motorola Inc. and Hitachi Ltd. were among 34 companies accused of violating a retired Columbia University professor's patent for light-emitting diodes and laser diodes.

Gertrude Neumark Rothschild filed the complaint today with the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington. She is seeking to block U.S. imports of products that she says infringe the patent, including video players using Sony's Blu-ray format, Motorola's Razr mobile phones and Hitachi camcorders....

Companies named in the complaint include Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., LG Electronics Inc. and Samsung Group, makers of Blu-ray DVD players, as well as Toshiba Corp., which said yesterday it would abandon the HD DVD format that challenged Sony in the market for high-definition video.

Nokia Oyj, the world's biggest mobile-phone maker, and Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB, the joint venture between Tokyo-based Sony and Ericsson AB of Sweden, also were named in the complaint.

A case reference is also given:

The case is In the matter of Short-Wave Light Emitting Diodes, Complaint No. 2601, U.S. International Trade Commission.

The abstract of the complaint is as follows:

Docket No:
2601

Document Type:
337 Complaint

Filed By:
Albert L. Jacobs, Jr.

Firm/Org:
Dreier LLP

Behalf Of:
Gertrude Neumark Rothschild

Date Received:
February 20, 2008

Confidential:
Yes

Commodity:
Short-Wavelength Light Emitting Diodes

Country:
None

Description:
Letter to Marilyn R. Abbott, Secretary, USITC; requesting the Commission to conduct an investigation under section 337 of the Tariff Act of 1930, as amended regarding Short-Wavelength Light Emitting Diodes, Laser Diodes and Products Containing Same. The proposed respondents are: Avago Technologies, Singapore; Bacol Optoelectronic Co. Ltd., Taipei, Taiwan; Ben-Q Corporation, Taipei, Taiwan; Citizen Electronics Co., Ltd., Japan; Dominant Semiconductors Sdn. Bhd., Malaysia; Everlight Electronics Co., Ltd., Taipei, Taiwan; Exceed Perseverance Electronic Ind., China; Guangzhou Hongli Opto-Electronic Co., Ltd., China; Harvatek International Inc., Taiwan; Hitachi, Ltd., Japan; Kingbright Electronic Co., Ltd., Taiwan; LG Electronics, Korea; Lite-On Technology Corp., Taiwan; Lucky Light Electronics Co., Ltd., China; Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd., Japan; Motorola, Inc., Illinois; Nokia Finland; Opto Tech Corporation, Taiwan; Pioneer Corporation, Japan; Rohm Co., Ltd., Japan; Samsung Group, Korea; Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., Japan; Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd., Korea; Sharp Corporation, Japan; Shenzhen Hensel PhotoelectronicsCo., Ltd., China; Shenzhen Unilight Electronic Co., Ltd., China; Shenzhen Yajiayu Electronics Co., Ltd., China; Shinano Kenshi Co., Ltd., Japan; Sony Corporation, Japan; Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB, Sweden; Stanley Electric Co., Ltd., Japan; Toshiba Corporation, Japan; Vishay Intertechnology, Inc., Pennsylvania and Yellow Stone Corporation, Taiwan.

Status:
Pending Institution

This is not Rothschild's first legal action. Here's another one that I found:

August 9, 2006... New York-- Sidley Austin LLP announced today that the firm represented Professor Gertrude Neumark Rothschild in her settlement of claims of patent infringement against Toyoda Gosei Co. Ltd., and Toyoda Gosei North America Corporation. On July 27, 2005, Professor Neumark filed suit in the Southern District of New York alleging that Toyoda Gosei had infringed U.S. Patent No. 4,904,618, "Process for Doping Crystals of Wide Band Gap Semiconductors," and U.S. Patent No. 5,252,499, "Wide Band-Gap Semiconductors Having Low Bipolar Resistivity and Method of Formation" through the unauthorized manufacture, importation, use, sale and/or offer for sale of light emitting diodes ("LEDs") and laser diode created using the processes described and claimed in each of these patents. Pursuant to the settlement agreement, Professor Neumark has granted rights under both of the Neumark patents to Toyoda Gosei.

But Toyoda Gosei wasn't the only firm that was sued:

July 11, 2005...USA Professor Gertrude F. Neumark of Columbia University in New York has filed lawsuits against four of the "Big Five" in the solid state lighting industry. According to Jed Dorsheimer, equity research analyst at Adams Harkness, Dr. Neumark has filed separate patent infringement suits against Cree, Lumileds Lighting , Toyoda Gosei, and Osram Opto Semiconductors....The four separate lawsuits containing basically the same wording pertain to two of Neumark’s 1988 patents, patent # 4,904,618 entitled “Process of Doping Crystals for Wide Band Gap Semiconductors” and # 5,252,499 entitled, “Wide Band Gap Semiconductors Having Low Bipolar Resistivity and Method of Formation” which carries Dr. Neumark's other last name, Rothschild.

Not sure how the other three lawsuits turned out.

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