By Samuel Howard

Law360, New York (August 12, 2008, 12:00 AM ET) -- Patent-holding company Digital Security Systems Corp. launched a lawsuit Monday against 18 of the world's electronics giants, including Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and the Sharp Corp., for allegedly using patented technology in their Blu-Ray Disc players.

The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, accuses the electronics manufacturers and retailers of infringing a patented encryption and decryption process that prevents piracy by Blu-Ray players.

DSS, a subsidiary of patent-holding company Acacia Research Corp., is the exclusive licensee of U.S. Patent...