As with most technologies, camera tech is something that heavily invested companies want to protect through patents and intellectual properties. One company famous for their cameras is RED, and they could be fighting Sony in a courtroom.
Sony is allegedly responsible for stepping on Red Digital Cinema"s (RED) territory with their several camera models. RED"s claim to fame is the "RED One," a camera capable of shooting at 4k resolution. Sony has supposedly stepped on RED"s toes with their patents, using something they have not properly licensed.
The patents in question are #8358357 and #8174560, which you can view on Scribd; if you"re interested, the entire lawsuit is available to read online. One interesting thing is that the lawsuit basically says to take a sledgehammer to the infringing cameras - destroy them all.
Jim Jannard, founder of RED, explained why they were going after Sony on RedUser.net. He stated:
Patents are here for a reason. They protect IP. Receiving a patent now means that you have an obligation to protect it... or they have absolutely no value whatsoever.
Users over on the forum have indicated approval of Jannard"s approach, with some cynical of Sony"s operations. The Sony cameras affected are the PMWF5, PMWF55 and PMWF65, all of which are professional-grade.
Source: Digital Journal