According to the Chicago Tribune, Ford Motor Company is being sued by a man named Frank Weyer because Weyer claims Ford is using a product he already has a patent for. That product is the "Mycolor" instrument panel that is an option on the 2005 Mustang which allows the driver to change the intrument panels background color.
According to Ford they bought the rights to use that technology from Delphi Corp.

Here is the original article
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ ... &cset=true

UPDATE: This case has been resolved.


The case made against Ford by inventor and lawyer Frank Weyer has been settled out of court.

Weyer's claim was that the MyColor option on the Ford Mustang - which allows drivers to choose from a range of colours for the instrument lighting - infringed his US patent for "Method and Apparatus for Providing User Selectable Multi-Color Automobile Instrument Panel Illumination".

Weyer applied for the patent in November 1997, and it was issued two years later. He says he sent a copy to Ford in December 1999 but received no response. After the announcement of the 2005 model year Mustang, Weyer filed a patent infringement lawsuit in October 2004.

The issue has been resolved at a meeting in Detroit. The terms of the settlement have not been revealed, but Weyer is now full of praise for Ford: "In both my representation of myself and in my representation of other inventors, I have dealt with large companies who believe might makes right and who believe that they can simply ignore the intellectual property rights of small companies and individuals.

"I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Ford has a corporate policy of respecting third party's valid patent and other intellectual property rights."

Ford is now able to sell and deliver Mustangs with the Interior Upgrade Package, which includes the MyColor system.

Source: http://www.carkeys.co.uk