NTP Inc Patent Issues and Litigation History

NTP Inc has been involved in a significant amount of patent litigation throughout its history.

The company has been the plaintiff in numerous patent infringement lawsuits, with one notable example being its lawsuit against Research in Motion (RIM) in 2006. This lawsuit alleged that RIM's BlackBerry devices infringed on NTP's patents.

NTP's patent portfolio includes patents related to wireless communication technology, which has been at the center of many of its patent disputes.

NTP Inc. has filed multiple lawsuits against major tech companies for allegedly infringing on their wireless e-mail patents.

The company has targeted Google, Apple, and Microsoft, among others, seeking damages with interest, royalties, costs, and injunctive relief.

NTP's lawsuits claim that eight of their patents are being infringed by these companies, which develop wireless hand-held devices or make software used to deliver e-mail on these devices.

The allegedly infringing phones include Apple's iPhone, LG's Ally and Incite, HTC's T-Mobile G1, and Motorola's Droid.

A fresh viewpoint: Apple Inc.

Google and Microsoft are targeted for creating the Android and Windows Mobile operating systems used on these phones.

NTP has also sued cell phone service providers in the past, filing suits in 2007 against Verizon Wireless, AT&T Mobility LLC, and T-Mobile USA Inc.

NTP was founded in 1992 by inventor Tom Campana as a holding company for his wireless e-mail patents.

The company has been aggressive in going after alleged infringers, winning a widely followed $612.5 million settlement from RIM in 2006 over wireless e-mail on the defendant's BlackBerry devices.

NTP's patents-in-suit include U.S. Patent Numbers 5,436,960; 5,438,611; 5,625,670; 5,819,172; 6,067,451; 6,317,592; 5,479,472; and 5,631,946.

NTP's settlement counsel, Ron Epstein, said the company's first choice is to make a deal and avoid litigation, but will go down the litigation path if negotiations break down.

NTP has appealed the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's decision to re-examine their patents, and Epstein said the company is confident that 1,000 or more claims will issue after the appeal.

Recommended read: Hazel-Atlas Glass Company

NTP, Inc. has been involved in several patent disputes over the years. The company has filed numerous lawsuits against various companies, including Apple, Google, and Microsoft, alleging patent infringement related to wireless email technology.

NTP has a history of aggressively pursuing patent infringement claims, having won a $612.5 million settlement from Research In Motion (RIM) in 2006. The company has also licensed its patents to several companies, including Visto, Nokia, and Good Technology.

In 2007, NTP filed patent infringement lawsuits against several large telecommunications companies, including AT&T, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless. The cases have not yet been settled.

RIM's efforts to challenge NTP's patents led to a re-examination of the patents by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). NTP became suspicious of contacts between RIM and the PTO, prompting the company to file Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

The USPTO ultimately rejected four of the five NTP patents at issue in the RIM lawsuit, but NTP appealed the decision. In 2011, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) vacated in part, reversed in part, and remanded the case back to the USPTO.

Additional reading: US Airways

NTP's patents have been the subject of several re-examinations, with the USPTO issuing a first office action rejecting the claims in the final NTP patent. NTP plans to see the full re-examination process through, which could take years.

In 2010, NTP filed suit against Apple, Google, HTC, LG, Microsoft, and Motorola, alleging patent infringement related to wireless email technology.

NTP, Inc. has been involved in several notable litigation cases. In 2010, the company filed suit against major tech companies including Apple, Google, HTC, LG, Microsoft, and Motorola.

NTP's lawsuit against these companies was filed on July 9, 2010. The terms of the lawsuit were not publicly disclosed at the time.

In an effort to encourage public participation in patent examination, Article One Partners announced in December 2010 that three of NTP's patents would be made available online.

In 2010, NTP filed a lawsuit against several major tech companies, including Apple, Google, HTC, LG, Microsoft, and Motorola.

This lawsuit was a significant event in the history of patent litigation. On July 9, 2010, NTP filed the suit, which would go on to have a major impact on the tech industry.

NTP made the decision to post three of its patents to an online community to allow for public participation in patent examination. This move was announced on December 9, 2010, by Article One Partners.

In 2012, several tech companies settled patent suits with NTP. The list of companies included AT&T Inc., Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel Corp., T-Mobile USA, Apple Inc., HTC Corp., Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc., Palm Inc., LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics, Google Inc., Microsoft Corp., and Yahoo Inc.

The settlements were announced on July 23, 2012.