Dolby files patent infringement lawsuit against RIM

Dolby Laboratories said Wednesday it has filed patent infringement lawsuits against Research In Motion in the United States and Germany and is seeking to halt sales of devices made by the Blackberry maker.

"Litigation was regrettably our last resort after RIM declined to pay for the use of Dolby's technology," Dolby general counsel Andy Sherman said in a statement. "We have a duty to protect our intellectual property."

Dolby said the lawsuits concern Dolby patents covering digital audio compression technologies.

RIM is using Dolby's patented technologies in its Blackberry smartphone and Playbook tablet computer without having obtained licenses, Dolby said.

Dolby said all of the other major smartphone makers have agreed to license the Dolby technologies.

Dolby said it is seeking financial damages and injunctions to halt sales of "the many RIM products" that infringe Dolby's patents.

Dolby said the technologies in question allow smartphones, portable music players, and tablet computers to play back music and other digitized audio that has been compressed to less than 10 percent of its original digital file size.