MPEG LA, the Denver patent aggregator, is suing U.K. set-top maker Amino in a patent dispute over MPEG-2. MPEG LA said the suit was filed in District Court in Dusseldorf, Germany.

The suit alleges that Amino is selling MPEG-2 set-tops in Germany without paying licensing fees either to the individual patent holders, or to MPEG LA, which holds the portfolio for the video compression patents.

Joining MPEG LA in the suit are CIF Licensing; The Trustees of Columbia University; GE; Matsushita; Mitsubishi; Philips; Samsung; Sony; Thomson; and Victor Co. of Japan.

The plaintiffs are seeking monetary damages and an injunction prohibiting Amino from using MPEG-2 patents in its products and from offering, marketing, or importing them.