Patent infringement suit filed to protect US Ethernet Innovation’s 3Com Ethernet inventions

TYLER, USA: US Ethernet Innovations, LLC, the owner of the fundamental Ethernet technology developed and sold by 3Com Corp. in the 1990s, has filed suit against a number of companies, including defendants Acer, Apple, ASUS, Dell, Fujitsu, Gateway, Hewlett Packard, Sony, and Toshiba, for infringement of its United States Patent Numbers 5,732,094; 5,434,872; 5,307,459; and 5,299,313.

“We strongly believe that 3Com’s ethernet technologies are being regularly infringed by foreign and some US companies,” said David A. Kennedy, Chief Executive Officer of US Ethernet Innovations (USEI).

“We believe that the continued aggressive enforcement of the fundamental ethernet technologies developed by 3Com against the waves of cheap, knock-off, foreign manufactured equipment is a necessary step in protecting the competitiveness of this American technology and American companies in general.”

In July 2008, 3Com won a jury verdict for its Ethernet Technology patents against Realtek Semiconductor Corp., a Taiwanese company, for $45.3 million. Realtek settled with 3Com shortly after for $70 million.

“The jury determined that Realtek infringed on four 3Com patents for network interface technology,” reported the Boston Business Journal, “3Com filed post-trial motions seeking enhanced damages [based on willfulness] and a permanent injunction.”

The fundamental ethernet technology developed by 3Com is utilized by a wide variety of businesses, including in laptop and personal computer internet connections, ATMs, data transmission, cash register and retail transactions, corporate transactions, networked security system cameras, point of sale information, and inventory management systems.

3Com revolutionized network data transmission speeds in the 1990s when it introduced its patented technology to the world. 3Com’s ethernet products, at one time, were significant in the world-wide market. Today, 3Com has been driven out of this business by cheaply manufactured imitations.