Ars Technica has a short article up about a possible patent dispute related to blue LED technology that could hamper manufacturers of products that use it…including Blu-ray disc players. Ars mentions specifically that this doesn’t just look like your average patent troll…there may be merit to the claims.

Given the scope of the claim, the number of companies named in the complaint is unsurprisingly high. Highlights from the list include Hitachi, LG, Lite-On, Matsushita, Motorola, Nokia, Pioneer, Samsung, Sanyo, Sharp, Sony, Sony Ericsson, and Toshiba. Normally, a list of patent-infringing companies that includes world+dog is a good sign that a troll is at work, but the woman behind this particular lawsuit, Gertrude Neumark Rothschild, appears to be more than your average bridge-dweller. In fact, she’s an expert in LEDs and has been for longer than many of us have been alive.

The above named companies clearly have far too much invested in this technology to let a patent dispute stop anything…if judges determine that Rothschild’s claims are valid, there will surely have to be a hefty settlement out of court.