Wi-LAN sues Motorola, RIM and UTStarCom over patent infringement
21 Jun 2008
OTTAWA, Canada: Ottawa-based technology innovation and licensor Wi-LAN Inc, has filed patent infringement litigation in Texas against Motorola, Inc., Research in Motion Corporation, Research In Motion, Ltd. and network and switching equipment maker UTStarcom, Inc, saying they had and continue to infringe its patents.
Wi-LAN was founded in 1992 to commercialise wireless technology, and has become a leading technology licensor. Its portfolio of patented inventions applies to a wide range of electronics and communications products. Some of the fundamental technologies covered by Wi-LAN's patents include: CDMA, DOCSIS, DSL, GSM/EDGE, V-chip, Wi-Fi and WiMAX. Wi-LAN has licensed its intellectual property to over 100 companies.
Wi-LAN, which expects sales of $20 million this year, claims these companies have infringed and continue to infringe Wi-LAN's US patents RE37,802 and 5,282,222 by making and / or selling products including mobile handheld devices and other equipment.
In November, the technology firm initiated legal action against 22 companies, including Apple Inc., Dell Inc., Hewlett-Packard, Intel Corp., Sony Corp., and retail chains such as Best Buy Co. Inc. and Circuit City Stores Inc, over patents related to Wi-Fi and power consumption in DSL products.
In its current litigation Wi-LAN will be represented by intellectual property litigation McKool Smith, which has successfully defended the patent rights of many high profile companies throughout the US.
The law firm is also representing Wi-LAN in two separate actions filed by Wi-LAN in October 2007.
The company also said that it had settled its dispute with Marvell Semiconductor, Inc, without disclosing settlement terms.