SUFFERN, N.Y., June 17, 2003 -- General Patent Corporation (GPC), a leading patent licensing and enforcement firm, has scored another victory in its campaign to enforce a portfolio of four "smart connector" patents owned by its wholly owned subsidiary, Acticon Technologies LLC (Acticon). GPC announced today that Acticon has settled its patent infringement lawsuit against Orange Micro, Inc. of Anaheim, CA (Orange Micro). Acticon filed suit against Orange Micro in July of 2002 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, alleging that the Orange Micro PC Card network adapters and combo cards infringed three of Acticon's "smart connector" patents. Orange Micro agreed to take a license under the patents.
Acticon's "smart connector" patents cover specific aspects of PC cards, CompactFlash cards, FireWire interface cards, certain USB adapters and other "smart connector" devices used in mobile computer communication, networking, instrumentation control, and industrial automation. Since 1996, GPC has been managing a patent licensing and enforcement campaign on behalf of Acticon. As a result of this campaign, 74 companies, which market more than 90% of the PC cards sold in the United States today, are now licensed under the Acticon patents.
"We have now prevailed in 18 litigations on behalf of Acticon," said Paul Lerner, Sr. Vice President and General Counsel of Acticon's parent, GPC. "We will continue to vigorously enforce the intellectual property rights of Acticon," he added.
Seven other companies that have recently licensed the Acticon patents are: Xsense Connectivity of So. San Francisco, California, a global supplier of networking products and peripherals; Data Translation, Inc. of Marlboro, Massachusetts, a developer and worldwide distributor of data acquisition and imaging products; I-O Data Device, Inc. of Japan, a global manufacturer of computer peripherals and interface products; QRS Diagnostic of Plymouth, Minnesota, a developer of diagnostic and patient monitoring devices using PC Card technology; Allied Telesyn, Inc., a developer of IP-based network products for use in video, voice and data networks; DiCON (S) PTE Ltd. of Singapore, a manufacturer of connectors and cable assemblies to the telecommunications and computer industries; and Bytecc USA of City of Industry, California, a manufacturer and distributor of computer connectivity products.