KVH cleared in patent infringement trial
MIDDLETOWN, R.I. – A jury for the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota has ruled that KVH Industries, Inc., is not liable for infringing on a King Controls’ patent, KVH said in a recent release.
King Controls had asserted that KVH was liable for royalties and sought an injunction against selling certain products because satellite-switching capabilities present in KVH’s TracVision mobile satellite TV systems had infringed on a patent that King Controls filed in 2000. But KVH said it successfully contended that the technology had been developed prior to King Controls’ patent application and was already in use in the industry, including in KVH’s own products, thereby invalidating King Control’s patent claim.
“We are extremely gratified by the jury’s decision and its clear vindication of KVH Industries with regard to these ill-conceived allegations,” said Martin Kits van Heyningen, KVH’s president, chief executive officer, and chairman. “KVH is a company built on technological innovation and, with an extensive patent portfolio, we have a profound respect for intellectual property rights. As a result, we were committed to successfully defending ourselves from these baseless charges leveled by a competitor.”
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