Animatics Corp. (Santa Clara, CA) reported that it has received a favorable decision in a patent infringement case before the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Animatics sued Quicksilver Controls for infringing its patent for a servo-motor with an integrated microprocessor controller.
After a three-week trial in November 2002, and a deadlocked jury, the US District Court for the Northern District of California found as a matter of law that the accused Quicksilver products infringed two claims, Claims 32 and 35, of Animatics’ patent and did not infringe three other claims, Claims 26, 28 and 31. The Federal Circuit’s opinion is a major victory for Animatics because claims 26, 28 and 31 are broader than the claims previously found to have been infringed.
Robert Bigler, CEO of Animatics, stated, "We are thrilled with this decision from the Court of Appeals, but fear that this victory might bolster a false rumor in the industry, that Animatics is trying to build a monopoly in the integrated servo market. The truth is just the opposite. Animatics has formed, and continues to form, many alliances directed at building the market with multiple suppliers leveraging a variety of competing technologies. For motor and control manufacturers interested in making integrated servos, I sincerely hope these events underscore the relative benefit of simply picking up the phone and talking with us, rather than forcing costly litigation."
