NEW YORK (Reuters) - 3M Co. said it settled a lithium-ion battery cathode patent dispute filed in March against Sony Corp. and other companies in U.S. district court in Minnesota.

Under the settlement, Sony Corp. and Sony Electronics Inc. are now licensed sources of batteries containing 3M's cathode technology. Specific terms of the settlement are confidential, 3M said.

3M, which makes such products as Scotch tape and Post-It notes, in May settled a patent dispute with Japan's Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. over the issue.

Its complaint is proceeding against Lenovo Group Ltd. , a U.S. unit of Hitachi Ltd. , CDW Corp. , and Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd. , 3M spokeswoman Donna Fleming Runyon said on Monday.

"3M remains interested in reaching resolution with other battery manufacturers," she said.

Lithium ion batteries are a source of power for laptop computers, cell phones and other portable electronic devices, and are an emerging source of power for battery-powered hand tools.

Shares of 3M, a member of the Dow Jones industrial average , were up 48 cents to $90.53 in noon trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

(Reporting by Nick Zieminski. Additional reporting by Neetha Mahadevan in Bangalore)
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