Major Patent Victory Against Microsoft
WASHINGTON, DC — On January 26, 2004, Justice William D. Browning of the United States District Court for the District of Arizona granted McDermott Will & Emery client, Research Corporation Technologies, Inc. (RCT), partial summary judgment in its patent case against Microsoft Corporation (No. Civ. 01-658-TUC-WDB). This decision, in addition to the Court's Markman ruling dated October 1, 2002 in favor of RCT, means that many of Microsoft's most well known products, including Windows 2000, Windows XP, Office 2000 and Office XP, among others, infringe RCT patents.
The patents in question, which were developed by Dr. Kevin Parker and Dr. Theophano Mitsa at the University of Rochester, cover revolutionary inventions for use in "digital halftoning," which is used to display and print high quality computer images. The patented technology has been commercialized and is called the "Blue Noise Mask." RCT has licensed the patents to major industry leaders such as Hewlett-Packard, Lexmark International and Seiko-Epson. In ruling in favor of RCT, the court stated that after consideration of the arguments and expert testimony, Microsoft failed to offer sufficient evidence to prove that they had not infringed on the RCT patent claims at issue.
MWE’s legal team advising RCT included IP partners Paul Poirot, John Fuisz and Natalia Blinkova.
RCT is an independent technology development company that works in partnership with universities and research institutions worldwide to commercialize early-stage technologies. Commercialization vehicles include venture investment, management, partnerships and special licensing programs. RCT has been pivotal in the commercial success of many important pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, biotechnology products, and new materials and processes. RCT's Vice-President and General Counsel is Timothy J. Reckart, who has spear-headed RCT's successful licensing program for the Blue Noise Mask and many other technologies. For more information on RCT, visit: www.rctech.com.
