Wireless Service Provider and Cell Phone OEMS Take a License for Digital Technology Licensing’s Key Cell Phone Patent
Suffern, N.Y., December 15, 2011 − General Patent Corporation (GPC), a leading patent licensing and enforcement firm, announced today on behalf of its subsidiary, Digital Technology Licensing LLC (DTL), that it settled a patent infringement lawsuit over a key cell phone patent owned by DTL against Sprint/Nextel, Kyocera, Sanyo and Palm.
DTL owns U.S. Patent No. 5,051,799 (the “’799 Patent”) titled “Digital Output Transducer.” The technology covered by the ‘799 Patent addressed Adaptive Multi-Rate (AMR) codec and other cellular communication standards, assuring backward compatibility of cell phone handsets and base stations. The ‘799 Patent also had applications in Bluetooth and other wireless devices. The ‘799 patent is now expired.
DTL sued Sprint/Nextel in 2007 (Civil Action No. 07-05432) in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. Sprint Nextel Corporation, Sprint Spectrum L.P. and Sprint Spectrum Equipment Company, L.P. agreed to settle the litigation and license the DTL patent. A third-party defendant, Sanyo North America Corporation, and its parent company, Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., also agreed to settle the patent litigation taking a license for the patent-at-suit. Two other third-party defendants, Kyocera Communications, Inc. and Palm, Inc., also agreed to settle the patent infringement lawsuit and take a license for the DTL patent.
These settlements bring to 41 the total number of licensees for DTL’s ‘799 patent. Current licensees include national cellular phone carriers such as Cingular Wireless LLC (now known as AT&T Mobility LLC) and Verizon Wireless, many regional carriers, and cellular equipment manufacturers such as Motorola, Inc., Nokia Corporation, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., Ericsson AB, LG Electronics, Inc., Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB, and Casio Hitachi Mobile Communications Co., Ltd.
"We are very pleased to amicably resolve the last lawsuits involving the DTL patent," said Alexander Poltorak, CEO of General Patent Corporation. “The Digital Output Transducer patent was a fundamental telecommunications patent that has now beenlicensed by virtually every carrier and cell phonemanufacturer. We are delighted to have been able to achieve this result!”
General Patent Corporation represents DTL in the licensing and enforcement of U.S. Patent No. 5,051,799. General Patent Corporation brought patent infringement lawsuits on Digital Technology Licensing’s behalf against major cellular carriers and cellular equipment and Bluetooth equipment OEMs. With settlements from these companies, all of the national wireless carriers and major cell phone manufacturers have been licensed.
About Digital Technology Licensing LLC
Digital Technology Licensing LLC is the owner of U.S.Patent No. 5,051,799 titled “Digital Output Transducer,” which is now expired. DTL is a portfolio company of IP Holdings LLC and is managed by General Patent Corporation.
About IP Holdings LLC
IP Holdings LLC, an affiliate of General Patent Corporation, is an IP-centric merchant banking organization. IP Holdings provides IP-related financial services, operates an IP incubator, and offers patent brokerage services. IP Holdings is a member of DTL. For more information on IP Holdings, visit www.ip-holdings.com.