14 DAY TRIAL // An official report issued today reveals that NTP Incorporated, a company founded by Tom Campana, the inventor of wireless email, has filed lawsuits against Apple and others in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia over infringing NTP's eight patents related to the delivery of electronic mail over wireless communications systems.
As a “manufacturer or developer of either wireless handheld devices or software applications used in the delivery of email across wireless communications systems,” Apple is being accused of using NTP's intellectual property without a license.
Also targeting Google Inc., HTC Corp., LG Electronics Inc., Microsoft Corporation, and Motorola, Inc., Donald E. Stout, NTP's co-founder, said, "Use of NTP's intellectual property without a license is just plain unfair to NTP and its licensees. Unfortunately, litigation is our only means of ensuring the inventor of the fundamental technology on which wireless email is based, Tom Campana, and NTP shareholders are recognized, and are fairly and reasonably compensated for their innovative work and investment. We took the necessary action to protect our intellectual property."
A privately-held intellectual property firm based in Richmond, Virginia, NTP Incorporated was founded in 1992 by the late inventor of wireless email Thomas Campana, Jr. and his partners. Its IP includes patents relating to technologies involving wireless email which Campana developed.
After re-examining NTP’s patents, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ruled that 67 of NTP's patent claims in four patents are valid, including three claims that RIM was found to have infringed. All this was “in spite of the massive effort by the USPTO to overturn NTP's patents,” claims NTP. The company has also filed an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to overturn the USPTO's remaining rejections of NTP's patent claims, the report reveals.
"The filing of suit today is necessary to ensure that those companies who are infringing NTP's patents will be required to pay a licensing fee," Mr. Stout continued. "In view of the USPTO Board's ruling, the debate over whether Mr. Campana was an originator in the field of wireless email is over. No patents in U.S. history have received as much scrutiny as NTP's patents. We are delighted that the USPTO Board has recognized the groundbreaking innovation of Mr. Campana by confirming 67 of NTP's patent claims. We are also confident that the USPTO's rejections, which are on appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, will be overturned."