2010年10月29日，位於美國德州的專利控股公司Smartphone Technologies，繼今年(2010)3月以6項專利控告三星(Samsung)、摩托羅拉(Motorola)、蘋果(Apple)等7家手機大廠之後，又再一次針對宏達電(HTC)、諾基亞(Nokia)、索尼愛立信(Sony Ericsson)以及京瓷美達(Kyocera)4家手機製造商提出9項專利侵權指控，全案將由德州東部聯邦地院負責審理調查。
本案9項系爭專利，其中5項專利編號7,076,275、6,950,645、7,506,064、7,533,342以及RE40,459，同時也是前次訴訟的系爭專利，而編號6,243,705、6,317,781、6,470,381以及7,693,949則為本次訴訟的新增部分。涉及技術主要是智慧型手機裡常見的電子郵件同步處理、藍芽傳輸技術以及無線網路連結等等。
本次訴訟比較讓人匪夷所思的地方，在於系爭專利的原專利權人，其中有7項專利來自 PalmSource公司。實際上，今年(2010)4月惠普(HP)收購了智慧型手機製造商Palm，而根據市場分析師指出，惠普收購Palm的主要考量在於強化智慧型手機市場的競爭籌碼，同時拉抬自家智慧型手機產品iPAQ的聲望。因此在公司併購的關鍵時刻，出現了如此敏感的兩項相關訴訟案件，不免讓外界產生多餘的猜測。
SmartPhone Technologies LLC的登記註冊代表是Agent Solutions, Inc.公司。SmartPhone Technologies是屬於Acacia Patent Acquisition LLC集團下之一個專利授權公司。(455字；表1)
表一、專利訴訟案件基本資料：Smartphone Technologies控告HTC等公司
|
訴訟名稱
|
SmartPhone Technologies LLC v. Research In Motion Corporation et al |
SmartPhone Technologies LLC v. HTC Corporation et al |
| 提告日期 |
2010年3月3日 |
2010年10月29日 |
| 原告 |
SMARTPHONE TECHNOLOGIES, LLC |
SMARTPHONE TECHNOLOGIES, LLC |
| 被告 |
- LG Electronics USA, Inc.,
- Motorola, Inc.,
- Apple, Inc.,
- Pantech Wireless, Inc.,
- Insight Enterprises, Inc.,
- AT&T Inc.,
- AT&T Mobility LLC,
- Research In Motion Corporation,
- Research in Motion Ltd.,
- Samsung Electronics Co. LTD.,,
- Samsung Electronics America, Inc.,
- Samsung Telecommunications America LLC,
- Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd.,
- Sanyo Electronic Device (U.S.A.), Inc.,
- LG Electronics, Inc.
|
- HTC CORPORATION (宏達電；台灣)
- HTC B.V.I.
- HTC AMERICA, INC.
- EXEDEA, INC.
- NOKIA CORPORATION
- NOKIA, INC.
- SONY ERICSSON MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS AB
- SONY ERICSSON MOBILE COMMUNICATIONS (USA), INC.
- KYOCERA CORPORATION
- KYOCERA INTERNATIONAL, INC.
- KYOCERA COMMUNICATIONS, INC.
|
| 案號 |
6:2010cv00074 |
6:10-cv-00580-LED |
| 訴訟法院 |
THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS, TYLER DIVISION |
THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS, TYLER DIVISION |
| 系爭專利 |
US6,950,645、US7,076,275、US5,742,905、US7,506,064、US6,533,342、US6,711,609、USRE40,459 |
US7076275、US6950645、US7506064、US7533342、USRE40459、US6243705、US6317781、US6470381、US7693949 |
|
訴狀下載
|
|
|
Source: 科技政策研究與資訊中心—科技產業資訊室整理，2010/11
2012
- 01-172012年1月17日法官進行6,505,215及6,711,609專利權利項之語句解釋
-
原告： Smartphone Technologies
專利： US6,505,215
權利項之語句： application
解釋：a computer program
權利項之語句： computer system
解釋：不要。然而，並不僅限於“personal computer"。
權利項之語句： synchronization application
解釋：a computer program that reconciles differences
權利項之語句： synchronize
解釋：to reconcile the differences between
權利項之語句： the first set of records being accessible to the transport modules in the plurality of transport modules
解釋：不解釋
權利項之語句： to identify at least a portion of the first set of records
解釋：不要。
權利項之語句： transport module
解釋：a single interface that handles synchronization for a specific medium
權利項之語句： direct connection
解釋：wired connection
專利： US6,711,609
權利項之語句： concurrently
解釋：不解釋。
權利項之語句： in response to
解釋：不要。
權利項之語句： second computer
解釋：personal computer
權利項之語句： signal
解釋：request
權利項之語句： synchronizing
解釋：comparing and reconciling the differences between
權利項之語句： wherein the step of . . . is performed concurrently with the step of . . .
解釋：wherein [the two steps] are performed at least partially at the same time
- 06-13法官發出專利權利項之語句解釋命令
-
原告： Smartphone Technologies
依據2012年3月6日公聽會進行Claim Construction後，2012年5月25日法官發出的專利權利項之語句解釋命令(Order for Claim Construction) 。其中，部分語句解釋命令，如下：
檔案下載： 
(Order for Claim Construction)
The ‘459 Patent
a. “the form including one or more fields” |
| Plaintiff’s Construction |
Defendants’ Construction |
| the form comprising a data structure with at least one field for user input |
an electronic page displayed with at least one field name and value attribute for user input |
| b. “access the set of data from the memory to render a form for the selected network site” |
Plain and ordinary meaning, no construction necessary. Alternatively, if construed:
display a form for the selected network site using the set of data stored in the memory |
displaying a form for a specific website generated entirely from the set of data stored in memory |
| c. “the wireless communication comprising the form with the user-input being associated with the one or more fields” |
Plain and ordinary meaning, no construction necessary. Alternatively, if construed:
the wireless communication including the form with the user-input and the association of the user-input with the one or more fields |
the wireless communication comprising the rendered form, the user-input, and the association of the user-input with one or mroe fields |
The ‘275 Patent
a. “a background task executed by said processor” |
| Plaintiff's Construction |
Defendants' Construction |
| a background task of said operating system of said device executed by said processor |
a single thread that is not displayed on the graphical user interface and that runs independent of the operating system |
| b. “always active” |
| active when said telephony functionality is enabled |
always monitoring for incoming phone calls and always capable of detecting incoming phone calls, notifying the operating system of
incoming phone calls and notifying the user of incoming phone calls |
c. “irrespective of the user’s activity on said device without terminating said
application” |
Plain and ordinary meaning, no construction
necessary |
without regard to the user’s operation on the device and without interrupting or affecting the application the user is interfacing with |
| d. “said background task interfacing directly with the telephony functionality of said device” |
| Plain and ordinary meaning, no construction necessary |
the referenced background task
communicating directly with the telephony
chipset through a port |
- 08-02系爭專利275之claim 112因記載不明而無效
-
原告：
Smartphone Technologies控告RIM案，2012年8月2日法官對於系爭專利7,076,275之claim 112因記載不明而無效。
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------