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Cognex Sues MVTec, Fuji for Patent Infringement
In what looks to be a battle over intellectual property rights, Cognex Corp. (Natick, Mass.) filed a complaint on May 27 against MVTec Software GmbH (Munich, Germany) and its U.S. Subsidiary, MVTec LLC for infringement of at least seven patents. The complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts in Boston.
Cognex alleges that MVTec's Halcon™ machine vision software infringes the claims of at least seven Cognex patents, including matching technology. Cognex is asking the court to enjoin MVTec from making and selling the infringing software, and is seeking unspecified damages in compensation for past infringement. Fuji America Corp., which sells semiconductor equipment that Cognex says incorporates Halcon software, also is named in the complaint. MVTec calls the charges "unfounded" and will defend itself against the claims.
"Cognex takes a very strong stand on intellectual property rights, whether we are defending our technology or asserting our patents," said Dr. Robert J. Shillman, the company's Chairman and CEO. "Our success in past cases...against Acacia Research Corporation just last week, and against the Lemelson Partnership in 2004...together with this current action show our fierce determination to protect the advanced machine vision technology that our engineers have developed."
In defending his company, Dr. Olaf Munkelt, Managing Director of MVTec Software GmbH, said, "One of the important values within business is to understand the concept of fair competition. Part of these values is to respect intellectual property rights. MVTec is ready and committed to defend itself as well as its customers against these claims because we believe these claims to be unfounded. MVTec has spent a great amount of resources over the years to invent, develop, and to patent machine vision technology. Last but not least we should keep in mind that back in 2003 Cognex withdrew a law suit regarding matching technology against another one of their biggest competitors."
Countered Cognex's Shillman, "Cognex has made a very significant investment in R&D over the years, and we have a responsibility to both our investors and to our customers who have paid for Cognex proprietary technology to protect that investment. We will be firm in defending our technology against any vision company that makes, uses or sells products that we believe infringe our patents, and any user or manufacturer of equipment that incorporates such products."
