A Toshiba Corp. laptop AP PHOTO

Toshiba Corp., which is recalling 830,000 Sony battery packs, said it "doesn't rule out" seeking compensation from Sony for lost business or damage to its brand image as a result of the recall.

It is studying various possibilities and has not made a final decision, a Toshiba spokesman said on condition of anonymity.

Fujitsu Ltd. said seeking compensation was "possible" but that it needed to carry out its recall first before deciding the extent of damage on the company's business.

Fujitsu announced Oct. 13 that it would replace 51,000 more Sony-made laptop batteries around the world, in addition to the recall of 287,000 others earlier this month.Hitachi Ltd., which is recalling about 16,000 Sony batteries, also said seeking compensation from Sony is an option.

The massive global recall of Sony lithium-ion batteries followed the discovery that the batteries can short circuit and cause some computers to overheat and possibly catch fire.

Nearly every major laptop maker was forced to tell customers to return Sony-made lithium ion batteries, with more than 7 million batteries subject to replacement worldwide.

The largest recalls have been by Dell Inc., with 4.2 million batteries affected, and Apple Computer Inc., with 1.8 million batteries. Sony expects costs of at least $170 million related to the Dell and Apple recalls.

The Japan Times Weekly: Oct. 21, 2006
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