Forgent Networks Sues An Additional 11 Companies for Patent Infringement
AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 6, 2004--Forgent Networks (Nasdaq:FORG) announced today that its wholly owned subsidiary, Compression Labs, Inc., has initiated litigation against 11 companies for infringement of United States Patent No. 4,698,672 (the '672 Patent) in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Marshall Division. The defendants are: Acer America Corporation, AudioVox Corporation (Nasdaq:VOXX), BancTec, Inc., BenQ America Corporation, Color Dreams, Inc. (d/b/a StarDot Technologies), Google Inc., ScanSoft, Inc. (Nasdaq:SSFT), Sun Microsystems Inc. (Nasdaq:SUNW), TiVo Inc. (Nasdaq:TIVO), Veo Inc., Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO).
In April 2004, Compression Labs initiated litigation against 31 companies for infringement of the '672 Patent in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Marshall Division. In July 2004, 24 of these same defendants sued Forgent and Compression Labs in U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware seeking declaratory relief of non-infringement, invalidity and unenforceability of the '672 Patent.
"Forgent intends to vigorously pursue and defend the pending litigations," said Richard Snyder, chairman and CEO of Forgent. "We are committed to the intellectual property program and our objective remains to protect our intellectual property assets from infringement."
Since the company's inception, Forgent has designed and developed strategies to help find new and better ways to solve problems. As these solutions were found, the company patented and then sought to commercialize these innovative technologies. This effort has created a diverse portfolio of intellectual property such as data compression, video mail, videoconferencing, video call scheduling, and many others. The company's patent portfolio includes the combined invention of Compression Labs, Inc., VTEL Corporation, and Forgent Networks, Inc.
Over the last two years the intellectual property business has generated approximately $90 million from licensing the '672 Patent to over 30 different companies in Asia, Europe and the United States. The '672 Patent relates to digital image compression, and fields of use include any digital still image device used to compress, store, manipulate, print or transmit digital still images such as digital cameras. However, the '672 Patent extends beyond digital cameras and includes many digital still image devices such as personal digital assistants, cellular telephones, printers, scanners, and other devices used to compress, store, manipulate, print or transmit digital still images. Forgent has the exclusive right to license and enforce all the claims under the '672 Patent in all fields of use involving digital still image compression.
About Forgent
Forgent Networks provides a spectrum of scheduling software that enable organizations to streamline the planning and execution of their meetings, helping to increase productivity and reduce costs. Forgent's offerings include Network Simplicity's Meeting Room Manager, which provides room scheduling, and ALLIANCE, which provides unified scheduling of all meeting logistics using the corporate calendaring platforms of Lotus Notes and Microsoft Outlook. Forgent also generates and licenses intellectual property related to collaboration technologies. For additional information visit www.forgent.com.
Safe Harbor
This release may include projections and other forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties and as such, actual results in future periods may differ materially from those currently expected or desired. Some of the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include changes in the general economy and the technology industry, rapid changes in technology, sales cycle and product implementations, risks associated with transitioning to a new business model and the subsequent limited operating history, the possibility of new entrants into the collaboration management market, the possibility that the market for the sale of certain software and services may not develop as expected; that development of these software and services may not proceed as planned, risks associated with the company's license program, including risks of litigation involving intellectual property, patents and trademarks, acquisition integration, and the ability to consummate certain divestiture transactions. Additional discussion of these and other risk factors affecting the company's business and prospects is contained in the company's periodic filings with the SEC.
CONTACT: Forgent Networks, Austin
Michael Noonan, 512-437-2476
michael_noonan@forgent.com
SOURCE: Forgent Networks