FREMONT, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Logitech International (SIX:LOGN) (Nasdaq:LOGI) today disputed the merit
of a patent infringement lawsuit filed by Universal Electronics, Inc.
(UEI) regarding remote control technology.
UEI filed suit on seventeen patents against Logitech on Friday, July 15,
2011, rather than continuing license renewal negotiations with the
company. Logitech originally entered into a license agreement with UEI
in 2004 for certain UEI patents, to settle a lawsuit against Logitech
Harmony remotes that was filed by UEI after the independent development
of the Harmony remote technology. Logitech declined to renew the license
on the same terms because the patents originally subject to dispute had
either expired or were licensed during the patent application stage and,
after the patents were granted, were determined to be inapplicable to
Logitech products.
Four of the seventeen patents in the lawsuit were never raised by UEI in
the license renewal discussion. Three patents are expired. The remaining
ten patents in the lawsuit include some that Logitech has determined to
be inapplicable to its products and some that Logitech licensed as
patent applications but were determined to be inapplicable once the
patents were granted. Prior to receiving the complaint, Logitech had
already determined that it did not infringe on any valid claim of ten of
the fourteen unexpired patents and quickly reached the same conclusion
with respect to the four additional patents.
"Logitech has a strong intellectual property (IP) portfolio for
remote-control technology," said Ashish Arora, Logitech vice president
and general manager of the Digital Home business unit. "With the
acquisition of our Harmony remote control business in 2004, which has
become the leading brand in advanced universal remotes, we obtained
patent applications on that technology that have subsequently become
issued patents. We have also developed our own new patented technology
and acquired additional patents.
"Logitech respects the intellectual property rights of others, and has a
history of purchasing or licensing patents when needed. However, we are
confident that Logitech does not need a license from UEI. We believe
that UEI's lawsuit is without merit and we are confident that we will
prevail in court."
About Logitech
Logitech is a world leader in products that connect people to the
digital experiences they care about. Spanning multiple computing,
communication and entertainment platforms, Logitech's combined hardware
and software enable or enhance digital navigation, music and video
entertainment, gaming, social networking, audio and video communication
over the Internet, video security and home-entertainment control.
Founded in 1981, Logitech International is a Swiss public company listed
on the SIX Swiss Exchange (LOGN) and on the Nasdaq Global Select Market
(LOGI).
Logitech, the Logitech logo, and other Logitech marks are registered in
Switzerland and other countries. All other trademarks are the property
of their respective owners. For more information about Logitech and its
products, visit the company's Web site at www.logitech.com.
(LOGI — IR)
Logitech International
Joe Greenhalgh, 510-713-4430
Vice
President, Investor Relations — USA
Nancy Morrison, 510-713-4948
Vice
President, Corporate Communications — USA
Laura Scorza, +41-(0)
21-863-5336
Sr. Public Relations Manager — Europe
Source: Logitech International
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