Creo and Quark face major US lawsuit

The lawsuit alleges that products manufactured and sold by both Quark and Creo infringe on an extensive portfolio of RR Donnelley patents. The infringements are claimed to fall in the area of digital print processes, central to a significant segment of RR Donnelley's service and product offerings.

The lawsuit was lodged in the federal court in Delaware in the US, and RR Donnelley is seeking monetary and injunctive relief from both Quark and Creo.

While specific details of the lawsuit are scant, the legal action comes as a surprise as RR Donnelly has forged tight relationships with both companies in the past. In 2004 the commercial printer teamed up with Creo to develop and implement the first thermal gravure system for the US print industry - a partnership that could well be the source of the current legal action.

At the time, John Campanelli, president of RR Donnelley, commented on the strong working relationship shared by the two companies.

“RR Donnelley and Creo have a proven track record in the print industry for pioneering new technology,” claimed Campanelli in 2004. “With our insight into the gravure printing process and Creo's expertise in developing imaging technology and software, together we can set new industry standards for quality gravure print.”

RR Donnelley is a US-based provider of print and related services, founded more than 140 years ago and with its operations extended into China. Some of the services the company provides include commercial printing, direct mail, financial printing, print fulfilment, forms and labels, logistics, transactional printing, print management and database management.