Fiber Amplifiers Subject of Dispute

The board of trustees of Stanford University in Stanford, Calif., and Litton Advanced Systems Inc. of Woodland Hills, Calif., have filed suit against more than a dozen players in the telecommunications industry, alleging that companies have infringed on their patent on fiber optic amplifiers. Stanford and Litton are seeking unspecified damages, including royalties with interest, from Alcatel, Nortel Networks Corp., Pirelli Cables and Systems, Lucent Technologies Inc., Tyco Submarine Systems Ltd., Tycom, Scientific Atlanta, Ciena Corp., JDS Uniphase Corp., SDL Inc. and others. The plaintiffs are seeking an injunction against the companies to prevent further infringement.
Corning Inc. of Corning, N.Y., had also been named in the suit but announced that it has begun talking with Litton to resolve the dispute out of court. Litton has agreed to withdraw the suit against Corning without prejudice.