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Cisco sued over IPTV set-top box patent
An Illinois man is suing Cisco Systems over alleged false patent marking--allegedly continuing to market products with expired patent information on them. Specifically, the suit targets Cisco IPN330HD IPTV set-top box. However, the lawsuit is one of several that the man, Thomas Simonian, has filed against many companies, in an effort, it seems, to keep companies honest about their patent information (Citizen's arrest!). However, if Simonian wins in court, he also stands to potentially split millions of dollars in damages with the federal government.
Some media reports on the suit suggest that lawsuits like this are on the increase as individuals look for gaps in corporate patent information. Instead, they may help make the case for much-needed patent reform.
For more:
- Network World has this post
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Comments
Posted by Anonymous | March 15, 2010 - 2:24pm
"Instead, they may help make the case for much-needed patent reform."
Lets look at this carefully, members of the Coalition for Patent Piracy & Fairness like Cisco are routinely sued and lose because they acre caught selling patent properties which belong to others. Now they have been caught red handed breaking marking laws.
So tell me why stealing small companies inventions or being caught misrepresenting what is valuable about their products is cause to change the law?
Following the same reasoning should we change law to allow pickpockets, car thieves, robbers, etc. to also have free reign to do what they want?
Why is it that petty crime should be prosecuted while larceny on the grandest of scales such as what we have experiences from banking, insurance and YES tech companies who also happen to be members of the Coalition for Patent Piracy and Fairness get a free pass to do much worse?
Ronald J. Riley,
I am speaking only on my own behalf.
Affiliations:
President - www.PIAUSA.org - RJR at PIAUSA.org
Executive Director - www.InventorEd.org - RJR at InvEd.org
Senior Fellow - www.PatentPolicy.org
President - Alliance for American Innovation
Caretaker of Intellectual Property Creators on behalf of deceased founder Paul Heckel
Washington, DC
Direct (810) 597-0194 / (202) 318-1595 - 9 am to 8 pm EST
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