Updated

Xerox Corp.said Thursday it won a patent infringement suit against 3Com Corp.and Palm Inc., as a judge ruled that their handheld electronic organizers do infringe on Xerox patents for handwriting recognition software.

Judge Michael Telesca, U.S. District Court for the Western Districk of New York ruled that Xerox's "656 patent is valid and enforceable," and that the "Graffiti product infringers (it)."

The decision ends the liability portion of the case and clears the way for Xerox to seek damages. Xerox said it will push for Palm to either to stop making its handheld electronic organizers, which use the handwriting recognition software, or license the technology from Xerox.

Xerox sued U.S. Robotics, which was later acquired by 3Com, in April 1997, claiming that the handwriting recognition technology marketed as Graffiti and used on Palm handheld devices infringed a patent Xerox received in 1997.

Xerox said the technology was invented at its Palo Alto Research Center, known as PARC.