Wisefame International, a Chinese electronics products manufacturer based in China's DonGuan City, asked the federal court in Atlanta to declare that its back massager doesn't infringe a patent held by FKA Distributing Co. of Commerce Township, Mich.

In April, representatives of FKA's HoMedics-U.S.A. unit told Wal-Mart Stores Inc. the Wisefame back massager infringed its U.S. patent 7,128,721, Wisefame said in its pleadings.

Wal-Mart then asked Wisefame to provide it with assurances its massager didn't infringe the patent, according to the July 31 complaint.

Wisefame filed a separate suit in February 2008, disputing HoMedics' patent ownership.

FKA Distributing is represented by Marc Lorelli and Mark A. Cantor of Brooks Kushman; and Damon J. Whitaker and Ryan T. Pumpian of Atlanta's Powell Goldstein.