Aruba Networks has lobbed another volley in the round of WLAN patent infringement suits and counter suits that Aruba and Motorola and Motorola's subsidiaries, Symbol Technologies and Wireless Valley Communications have been fighting over for more than a year. Aruba said it filed the new lawsuit, which concerns two Aruba patents for managing wireless computer networks and network security, after an unsuccessful attempt to negotiate a license with the Motorola companies.
The companies have been disputing several patents and patent infringement issues since August 2007, when Motorola and the subsidiaries sued Aruba, claiming Aruba's products infringed four patents pertaining to WLAN switching architecture, WLAN site planning and RF management. Aruba counter sued in October 2007, denying those claims while asserting Symbol had created the products based on details about Aruba's technology that Symbol had obtained access to in 2003 when it was conducting due diligence for a possible acquisition of Aruba. Aruba at that time also sought a review of the Motorola patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on the grounds Motorola subsidiaries had withheld vital information about Aruba's technologies from the patent office when the now-disputed patents were first reviewed.
Aruba's new counter suit against Motorola, Symbol, and Wireless Valley adds two more Aruba patents to the dispute. The first of these patents was assumed by Aruba in March 2008 as part of its acquisition of AirWave Wireless. The second was issued to Aruba in May 2008. Separate from the lawsuits, Aruba said that the USPTO recently granted Aruba's request for a re-examination of the four disputed Symbol and Wireless Valley patents. Customers of all of these companies will be watching to see how the new legal action, and this new review, all turn out.
For more:
- see the release
Related articles:
Aruba counter sues Motorola over WLAN patents
Motorola sues Aruba for alleged patent infringement