Nov. 7 (Bloomberg) -- Research In Motion Ltd., the maker of BlackBerry e-mail phones, sued LG Electronics Inc. claiming its Black Label mobile phones infringe the BlackBerry trademark.

The LG phones are sold under a name that is ``confusingly similar'' to the BlackBerry, Research In Motion said in a complaint filed today in federal court in Los Angeles. Research In Motion seeks a court order barring LG from using the Black Label name and unspecified damages.

Research in Motion, based in Waterloo, Ontario, settled a similar trademark dispute in February with Samsung Electronics Co. over Samsung's BlackJack handsets. Seoul-based LG Electronics is Asia's second-largest maker of mobile phones behind Samsung. Research In Motion said last month it plans to start selling BlackBerry phones this year in China, the world's largest handset market, as it expands beyond North America.

In addition to the LG Black Label phones, which can be used on any GSM network in the U.S., Research In Motion also wants a court order to stop the sale of LG Chocolate handsets that Verizon Wireless sells under the Strawberry and Black Cherry names, according to the complaint. Verizon is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

Melissa Elkins, a spokeswoman for LG Electronics in San Diego, didn't immediately return a call to her office after business hours.

The case is Research In Motion v. LG Electronics, 07-7323, U.S. District Court, Central District of California (Los Angeles).

To contact the reporter on this story: Edvard Pettersson in Los Angeles at epettersson@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: November 7, 2007 22:00 EST