General Patent Corporation Represented Acticon in These Transactions
SUFFERN, NY, March 7, 2002 - Acticon Technologies LLC (Acticon) has recently settled its patent infringement lawsuit with TDK Corporation of Japan (TDK), and entered into license agreements with several companies regarding its four "smart connector" patents. General Patent Corporation (GPC), an intellectual property management firm headquartered in Suffern, New York, represented Acticon in these transactions.
Acticon filed suit against TDK for patent infringement in November of 2001 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York. The complaint alleged that the PC Card modems made by TDK Systems Inc., a former subsidiary of TDK U.S.A. Corporation, infringed some of Acticon's "smart connector" patents. The parties have reached an amicable resolution of this dispute, which resulted in Acticon withdrawing its action against TDK. TDK and Acticon had been engaged in licensing discussions prior to initiation of the lawsuit.
"We are happy to settle this action with TDK," said Alexander Poltorak, GPC's chairman and CEO. "We were pleased to see that TDK management recognized the intellectual property rights of our client, which allowed us to quickly negotiate a fair agreement without the unnecessary escalation of the litigation," he added.
Other companies that have recently licensed the Acticon patents include Belkin Components, a Compton, CA vendor of "smart" cables and connectors; Indigita Corporation, a Santa Ana, CA vendor of PC Cards; Ratoc Systems International, a San Jose, CA vendor of PC Cards headquartered in Japan; Microlan Integration, Inc. d/b/a KTI Networks, Inc., a Houston, TX vendor of PC Cards headquartered in Taiwan; Cameo Communications, Inc., a Taipei, R.O.C. vendor of PC Cards; SIIG, Inc., a Fremont, CA vendor of PC Cards and "smart" connectors; and Centos, Inc., a Taiwan designer and manufacturer of PC Cards.
"We hope that other vendors will follow TDK's lead and join our ever-growing family of licensees," said Dr. Steven Farago, Acticon's chief technologist. "Non-exclusive licenses are available on favorable terms under our 'smart connector' patents."
Acticon's "smart connector" patents cover specific aspects of PC cards and other "smart connector" devices used in mobile computer communication, networking and instrumentation control. More than 90% of the PC cards sold in the United States today are licensed under the Acticon patents. GPC has successfully represented Acticon in 38 licensing transactions and eight litigations.
About Acticon Technologies
Acticon Technologies LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Patent Corporation, is a computer connectivity and communications technology company based in Suffern, NY. Acticon's award-winning smart connector technology is based on U.S. Patent Nos. 4,603,320 ("Connector Interface"), 4,686,506 ("Multiple Connector Interface"), 4,972,470 ("Programmable Connector") and 4,543,450 ("Integrated Connector and Modem").
Acticon Technologies offers non-exclusive licenses under these patents on attractive terms. For licensing terms contact Paul Lerner at (845) 368-4000 x104.