Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione Victorious on Behalf of Client Alpine Electronics of America, Inc. and Alpine Electronics, Inc.
CHICAGO, Oct. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione, one of the largest intellectual property law firms in the United States, announced that a court has ruled in favor of its clients, Alpine Electronics of America, Inc. and Alpine Electronics, Inc., manufacturers of high performance mobile electronics, including mobile navigational products, in a patent infringement case.
Encyclopaedia Britannica (EB), a provider of learning and knowledge products, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas Austin Division before Judge Lee Yeakel. Brinks client, Alpine, challenged EB's assertion that Alpine's navigational products had infringed EB's U.S. Patent No. 5,241,671 ('671) relating to searching encyclopedias stored on electronic compact disks (CDs). Because the patent failed to disclose adequate structure, scope and understandable definition of certain terms, the court found all claims of EB's '671 patent invalid.
"We are pleased that we could accomplish this result in a cost-effective manner for our clients," said Gary Ropski, president of Brinks. "Discovery has been stayed while this motion was pending. All the claims of the patent were declared invalid for indefiniteness, because the patent failed to disclose structure that corresponded to computer software means plus function clauses."
By way of background, in 1989, EB filed an application for a patent that was issued in 1993. That same year, however, in a rare action by the Commissioner of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), an eight-year reexamination of EB's patent was commenced because the Commissioner considered the patent to be too broad. Then, in 2001, after eight years of reexamining the patent, the USPTO issued a reexamination certificate that narrowed the scope of the '671 patent. In 2005, EB asserted that their reexamined '671 patent was infringed by Alpine and its co-defendants, all of which manufacture navigational devices.
The Brinks attorneys representing Alpine in this matter were Gary M. Ropski, Laura Beth Miller, Christopher A. Harkins and Andrea L. Evensen.
Alpine Electronics of America, Inc. is one of the leading manufacturers of mobile electronics specializing in mobile multimedia, digital entertainment, security and navigational products. For additional information, visit http://www.alpine-usa.com.
Founded in 1917, Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione is based in Chicago with five additional offices across the country, including Ann Arbor, serving the intellectual property needs of clients from around the world. The firm is one of the largest IP law firms in the country, with more than 170 attorneys, scientific advisors and patent agents specializing in intellectual property litigation and all aspects of patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, unfair competition, intellectual asset management, and technology and licensing agreements. Brinks routinely handles assignments in fields as diverse as electrical, chemical, mechanical, biotechnology, pharmaceutical, nanotechnology, Internet and computer technology, as well as in trademarks and brand names for a wide variety of products and services. For more information, visit http://www.usebrinks.com.
CONTACT:
Sydney Iglitzen
(312) 840-3163
siglitzen@usebrinks.com
SOURCE Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione
For further information: Sydney Iglitzen of Brinks Hofer Gilson & Lione, +1-312-840-3163, siglitzen@usebrinks.com
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