vizio announced today that they're being sued by consumer-electronics companies; Mitsubishi, Samsung, Victor Co. of Japan, and others. The grounds for the suit are over MPEG 2 video patents. The suit alleges that Vizio is using the format illegally.

According to a recent post at PC Magazine, the suit alleges that Vizio used technology patented by manufacturers who have also banded together as part of the MPEG Licensing Authority, or MPEG-LA.

This is a breaking report so we will follow-up with more details as they become available. In the meantime, what do you think? Are our digitized lifestyles in jeopardy? Do the big electronics manufacturers have a case or are they 'picking' on the little guy? Let us know.

-itsTripple