SUFFERN, N.Y.-Acticon Technologies L.C.C., Suffern, N.Y., developer of PC card modems and other PCMCIA form factor communications, has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Ositech Communications Inc., a Canadian company headquartered in Guelph, Ontario.
PCMIA is the acronym for the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association, which standardizes credit card-sized packages for memory and network connectivity for desktop, laptop and palmtop computers.
“Ositech was notified of the infringement in April 2000, and we feel we have exhausted our earnest efforts to resolve this matter, said Paul Lerner, general counsel and senior vice president of General Patent Corporation International, Acticon’s parent.
Acticon filed the suit in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, a tribunal based in New York City.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has awarded Acticon patents for its connector interface, multiple connector interface, programmable connector and integrated connector and modem.
At least 85 percent of the modem industry has accepted Acticon’s patents, said Dr. Steven Farago, chief technologist of Acticon and the named inventor of three of the four patents in the lawsuit against Ositech.
“GPCI has successfully enforced these patents on behalf of its subsidiary, Acticon, through litigation in five separate courts,” the company said in announcing the lawsuit against Ositech Aug. 8.
All of the defendants in these earlier cases, including Motorola Inc., IBM Corp., 3Com Corp., Xircom and Boca Research, have since licensed Acticon’s patented technology, General Patent said.
