Suffern, NY - May 15, 2008 - General Patent Corporation (GPC), a leading patent licensing and enforcement firm headquartered in Suffern, NY, reached an important milestone in its patent enforcement campaign on behalf of its subsidiary, Acticon Technologies LLC (Acticon). GPC recently obtained the 150th settlement under Acticon's portfolio of "smart connector" patents. Data Device Corporation of Bohemia, NY has settled Acticon's claims of infringement of its U.S. Patent No. 4,972,470 (Programmable Connector) for its MIL-STD-1553 and ARINC PCMCIA cards. GPC represented Acticon in all 150 licensing and settlement transactions.
"I am absolutely amazed at the success of these patents," said Steven Farago, Ph.D., the inventor of the Acticon "smart connector" technology. "Back in 1996, I wouldn't have thought it was possible to license 150 companies. But General Patent has been wonderful and exceeded all my expectations. They have left no stone unturned in enforcing the Acticon patents."
GPC also announced that Acticon has settled its patent infringement lawsuit against CNet Technology Corporation of San Jose, CA and CNet Technology, Inc. of Taiwan. Acticon brought suit against CNet and three other defendants in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California (Case No. 06 Civ 4679). CNet ultimately agreed to settle the lawsuit and to take a license under the patents. GPC previously announced that another defendant, Mace Group d/b/a Macally Peripherals, took a paid-up settlement arrangement. Acticon was represented by the law firm of Carr & Ferrell LLP of Palo Alto, CA.
Other companies that have recently settled or taken or license under the '470 Patent are Contemporary Controls of Downers Grove, IL for its ARCNET PCMCIA cards, and Light Cone Corp. of Irvine, CA for its CompactFlash cards.
"We are pleased with these recent developments, and that Acticon has been so successful," said Paul Lerner, Sr. Vice President and General Counsel for GPC. "We will continue to enforce these patents until the last of the infringers has settled," he added.
Acticon's "smart connector" patents cover specific aspects of PC cards and other "smart connector" devices used in mobile computer communications, networking and instrumentation control. GPC has successfully represented Acticon in 26 lawsuits and one hundred fifty licensing transactions related to these patents.
About Acticon Technologies
Acticon Technologies LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Patent Corporation International, is a computer connectivity and communications technology company based in Suffern, NY. Acticon's award-winning smart connector technology is based on U.S. Patent Nos. 4,543,450 ("Integrated Connector and Modem"), 4,603,320 ("Connector Interface"), 4,686,506 ("Multiple Connector Interface"), and 4,972,470 ("Programmable Connector"). All of the patents have now expired. For more information on Acticon visit www.acticontech.com.