After protracted litigation, Minolta in 1991 was ordered to pay Honeywell damages, penalties, trial costs and other expenses in a final amount of 127.6 million dollars (source: NY Times). corporation. 1991: Minolta's innovative autofocus design was found to infringe on the patents of Honeywell, a U.S. Other manufacturers soon follow suit, but Minolta's innovation gives much sales success.