The USA's California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has launched a lawsuit against Nokia, LG, Pantech and a number of chipmakers - STMicroelectronics, Seti, Siliconfile Technologies and Toshiba - alleging that their mobile phones contain components that infringe on nine of Caltech's patents relating to camera technology.

Caltech filed a complaint with a federal court in Los Angeles, and is seeking monetary damages. Last year Caltech sued Canon, Nikon and 4 other digital-camera makers, for infringing on six patents relating to pixel sensors in digital cameras. All of the patents were granted following research the university was doing for NASA.