With all the lawsuits HP has filed against Acer, it's no surprise that Acer is now sending that love back the other direction. Their aim is a bit off, however, because they are filing lawsuits against their suppliers. In particular, they are filing suit against Hon Hai, Quanta and Wistron, all of which whom are suppliers of some sort for them. Interestingly enough, Wistron was formerly a part of Acer. Not only is Acer claiming those companies breached warranty, but are demanding that those companies assist them in their defense against HP:
Hon Hai, Quanta and Wistron also produce computers for HP. According to the suit filed, Acer says its agreement with the suppliers hold them responsible to defend and indemnify Acer from and against claims of patent infringement.
That's certainly one way to get a company to help you, sue and force them. Could this act be a bit of desperation from Acer? Regardless, I hope that this does not end up consuming Acer, the smaller company in this fight. They hold their place as the number three notebook producer around the world, and more competition is always good, especially for the big boys, HP and Dell.