InterDigital teams with Sony, sues Chinese majors
Patents giant forms joint venture with Japanese firm to develop M2M platforms, while unleashing new handset lawsuits
Published: 4 January, 2013
READ MORE: US | InterDigital | M2M | Patents/IPR
InterDigital is most famous for its huge store of patents, and the new year has seen it renew its attacks on alleged violators, including China's Huawei and ZTE. However, the firm also has less discussed activities in technology development, and has been focusing on emerging growth markets such as white space spectrum and machine-to-machine (M2M) systems. The latest in a series of collaborations in these, and other, areas is with Sony and focuses on M2M services and products.
The partners have formed a joint venture called Convida Wireless, to which both will contribute
InterDigital has been engaged in wide-ranging M2M research, including projects for a services delivery platform and standards work with Europe's ETSI body. Its technology powered a nine-vendor demonstration of standards-based M2M technology at an ETSI M2M Workshop in France last year.
Back on more familiar ground, InterDigital has also filed a new complaint with the US ITC (International Trade Commission), alleging patent infringements by Huawei, Nokia, Samsung and ZTE, and seeking an injunction against the products involved. According to a statement, the patents cited cover "certain 3G and 4G wireless devices (including W-CDMA, cdma2000 and LTE capable mobile phones, USB sticks, mobile hotspots, laptop computers and tablets, and components of such devices) that infringe up to seven of InterDigital's US patents". It also includes some 3G devices which incorporate Wi-Fi.
The firm noted that some of the patents involved have already been asserted against Nokia, Huawei and ZTE in earlier actions, and these claims have not been repeated in the latest allegation. It has also filed a parallel action in the US District Court of Delaware, listing the same devices and patents and requesting "permanent injunction and compensatory damages in an amount to be determined, as well as enhanced damages based on wilful infringement, and recovery of reasonable attorneys' fees and costs".
Separately, InterDigital said that it had extended its agreement with RIM to LTE, "to add coverage for 4G products, including LTE and LTE-Advanced products".
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