Data storage makers duke it out.

• Author: Swartz, Nikki
• Position: Up front: news, trends & analysis - Brief Article

At one time, Hewlett-Packard (HP) and information storage company EMC were sales partners, but since the 1990s, the two data storage makers have been bitter competitors. And their escalating battle is keeping plenty of lawyers in business.

In October, EMC and HP exchanged patent infringement suits. In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in San Jose, Calif., HP stated that three of EMC's product lines contained technology that violated seven of HP's patents. HP is seeking unspecified monetary damage and has asked the court to block distribution of EMC's Symmetrix and Clarion hardware lines, as well as its Timefinder software. EMC subsequently filed its own patent infringement complaint against HP in U.S. District Court in Worcester, Massachusetts., alleging that certain HP products infringe six patents owned by EMC for Symmetrix, TimeFinder, and two other products.

Despite their once-amicable relationship, the bad blood between the two companies extends beyond the recent lawsuits. EMC previously sued...