Elan vs. Apple

義隆電子於2009.4.8.向美國北加州地方法院控告Apple侵害其US5,825,352及US 7,274,353號專利，創下國內首樁IC設計業者對國際品牌大廠興訟的案例，除對Apple提出損害賠償請求，也要求法院對未獲授權就使用專利技術於MacBook、iPhone、iPod Touch等產品，禁止Apple製造、使用。
US5,825,352號專利，是具有能偵測，同時碰觸兩手指或多手指的接觸感應輸入裝置，多手指操作已普遍應用於智慧型手機和電腦及各式消費性電子產品。U.S. 7,274,353號專利，是指具有能在鍵盤模式和手寫辨識板模式兩者間切換的觸控板。

產業現況
義隆今年在NB觸控面板市占率約3%，而NB觸控模組的供應商目前有：Synaptics、日本ALPS、Crypress，其中美商的市占率65%，ALPS約占25%。義隆觸控IC約占2008年營收10%，2009年預計提高到20至30%，其中NB已打入華碩EeePC的供應鏈，而手機也傳出透過宏達電進軍Google第二代手機。
義隆的這2篇專利和接觸感應輸入裝置的創新技術有關，可使用在Smartphone和電腦的Touch Pad。其中US5,825,352號專利2年前義隆對Synaptics提出侵權訴訟，2008年10月底，2家公司以互相交互授權和解收場，預估至2010年第3季止，義隆每一季都可認列Synaptics權利金收入。

US5,825,352
Title:Multiple fingers contact sensing method for emulating mouse buttons and mouse operations on a touch sensor pad
Filing Date:1996.2.28.
Issue Date:1998.10.20.
Abstract:
Method and apparatus for detecting an operative coupling between one or more fingers or other appropriate objects and a touch pad includes processes for detection of multiple maxima with intermediate minima in appropriate sequences to emulate the operations of cursor control and button actuations in a pointing and control device.

US7,274,353
Title:Capacitive touchpad integrated with key and handwriting functions
Filing Date:2003.9.23.
Issue Date:2007.9.25.
Abstract:
A capacitive touchpad integrated with key and handwriting functions is provided for operation in key, handwriting and mouse modes. Several regions are defined on the panel of the touchpad and have several patterns printed thereon for the operation modes thereby. In the key mode, the key patterns among the printed patterns simulate a keyboard. In the handwriting mode, the handwriting region among the defined regions serves to handwriting input. In the mouse mode, the defined regions provide a cursor moving region and a horizontal and vertical scroll bars for input operations.

Smart的看法
國際科技大廠之間的興訟，背後往往有商業目的，義隆透過這次訴訟可能可以提高其市占率，藉由授權亦可提高其營收，以Synaptics的交互授權為例，到2010年第3季前，義隆都可獲得授權金的收入，對其EPS亦是一股挹注。