Encyclopaedia Britannica sues TomTom in U.S. court

NEW YORK, May 30 (Reuters) - Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc. has sued Dutch navigation systems company TomTom (TOM2.AS) and two other companies in a U.S. court, contending they infringed on its patents for a computerized map system.

The lawsuit also names as defendants Magellan Navigation Inc., based in Santa Clara, California, and American TV & Appliance of Madison Inc. in the U.S. state of Wisconsin.

The lawsuit was filed on May 21 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, according to a copy of the complaint.

Britannica, with headquarters in Chicago, publishes its namesake encyclopaedia set in print and electronic editions, as well as operating a search and directory Web site.

The lawsuit says the company seeks to block the defendants from further infringement of the patents and also asks the court for damages on behalf of Britannica.

Representatives of the companies were not immediately available for comment.