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SUFFERN, N.Y., June 17, 2003 General Patent
Corporation International (GPCI), a leading patent licensing
and enforcement firm, has scored another victory in
its campaign to enforce a portfolio of four smart
connector patents owned by its wholly owned subsidiary,
Acticon Technologies LLC (Acticon). GPCI announced today
that Acticon has settled its patent infringement lawsuit
against Orange Micro, Inc. of Anaheim, CA (Orange Micro).
Acticon filed suit against Orange Micro in July of 2002
in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District
of California, alleging that the Orange Micro PC Card
network adapters and combo cards infringed three of
Acticons smart connector patents.
Orange Micro agreed to take a license under the patents.
Acticons smart connector patents
cover specific aspects of PC cards, CompactFlash cards,
FireWire interface cards, certain USB adapters and other
smart connector devices used in mobile computer
communication, networking, instrumentation control,
and industrial automation. Since 1996, GPCI has been
managing a patent licensing and enforcement campaign
on behalf of Acticon. As a result of this campaign,
74 companies, which market more than 90% of the PC cards
sold in the United States today, are now licensed under
the Acticon patents.
We have now prevailed in 18 litigations on behalf
of Acticon, said Paul Lerner, Sr. Vice President
and General Counsel of Acticons parent, GPCI.
We will continue to vigorously enforce the intellectual
property rights of Acticon, he added.
Seven other companies that have recently licensed the
Acticon patents are: Xsense Connectivity of So. San
Francisco, California, a global supplier of networking
products and peripherals; Data Translation, Inc. of
Marlboro, Massachusetts, a developer and worldwide distributor
of data acquisition and imaging products; I-O Data Device,
Inc. of Japan, a global manufacturer of computer peripherals
and interface products; QRS Diagnostic of Plymouth,
Minnesota, a developer of diagnostic and patient monitoring
devices using PC Card technology; Allied Telesyn, Inc.,
a developer of IP-based network products for use in
video, voice and data networks; DiCON (S) PTE Ltd. of
Singapore, a manufacturer of connectors and cable assemblies
to the telecommunications and computer industries; and
Bytecc USA of City of Industry, California, a manufacturer
and distributor of computer connectivity products.
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