STAMFORD, Conn., June 20 -- Pitney Bowes Inc. today announced that it has filed legal actions against eight companies for infringement of its "272 patent,'' or variable dot printing patent which enhances the resolution of laser jet printing, that was the subject of a recent settlement with Hewlett-Packard. The suits were filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut. Legal actions were filed against: Apple Computer, Inc., Lexmark International, Inc., Matsushita Electric Corporation of America, Panasonic Personal Computer Computer Co., NEC Technologies, Inc., Samsung Electronics America, Inc., Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., and Xerox Corporation for infringement of Pitney Bowes' 272 patent. "We are currently engaged in discussions with these companies and seek a business resolution to these claims,'' said Michael E. Melton, deputy general counsel, Intellectual Property and Technology Law, Pitney Bowes. "We will continue to look for ways to strategically leverage our intellectual property assets for licensing, and to form partnerships that will further enable us to deliver mission-critical, best-in-class solutions to our customers.'' Pitney Bowes has a long history of licensing its technology, and currently has license agreements with companies in a variety of industries, including printing, word processing, shipping and mailing.