Mobile manufacturers restrained from making multiple SIM phones
Tuesday, 24 March 2009, 15:30 IST   |    4 Comments
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Chennai: The Madras High Court Monday restrained mobile phone manufacturers Samsung, Mirc Electronics and Spice Mobile and several retailers from manufacturing and selling multiple SIM holding mobile phones. "On a petition filed by our client Somasundaram Ramkumar, Justice Jaypaul has issued an injunction whereby Samsung Electronics, Mirc Electronics and Spice Mobile were restrained from manufacturing multiple SIM holding mobile phones," D. Ferdinand, Ramkumar's lawyer and a partner at legal firm BFS Legal, told IANS. Several retailers, including online retailers Ebay India and Rediff.com and importers were also restrained from selling such phones, he added. Earlier, Ramkumar had accused the companies and retailers of infringing his patent for multiple SIM mobile phones. The case will be taken for hearing April 13. In another case filed by Ramkumar, the high court Justice K. Venkatraman Monday ordered the Customs Department to implement the Intellectual Property Rights (Imported Goods) Enforcement Rules 2007 to protect the petitioner's legal rights. The rules enable the customs officials to seize imported goods that infringe patents. "This is my first step in establishing my right as a patent holder," an elated Ramkumar told IANS. A 36-year-old electronics engineer, Ramkumar holds the Indian patent (No.214388) for plurality of SIM cards in a single mobile handset as well as plurality of bluetooth devices in headphone and earphone jacks. In his petition, Ramkumar said Mirc, Spice and Samsung were manufacturing mobile handsets infringing his patent for the product and the technology and 10 others were advertising and selling the products all over India. On his complaint to the Chennai Customs Office, officials in various cities have already impounded import consignments of mobile handsets with plurality of SIM cards.
Source: IANS
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