A jury in Minnesota has ordered Victor Co. of Japan Ltd. (JVC) to pay $30 million to Honeywell International Ltd. in a patent infringement case involving autofocus camera technology, an official of the U.S. aerospace giant said Friday.
Honeywell filed a federal lawsuit against JVC with the district court in Minnesota in 1999, claiming that the Japanese company used its autofocus camera technology in an unauthorized manner. A judge is expected to issue a ruling later this year.
A JVC spokesman in Tokyo said the company cannot make specific comments on whether it will comply with the payment order as a ruling has yet to be issued.
The latest verdict does not change the company's position that it has not infringed on any Honeywell patents, the spokesman added.
Honeywell has sued other Japanese manufacturers for violating its patents in the past.
Honeywell invented autofocus for still photography and video cameras in 1978, and licensed the technology, according to local media.
Major firms have manufactured video cameras after they entered licensing agreements with Honeywell.