International. A federal judge declared the case "exceptional" under U.S. patent law and ordered the claimant company, Sensormatic, to reimburse Genetec for all legal costs.
Genetec Inc. announced that the lawsuit filed by Sensormatic ended definitively in its favor, with Genetec exonerated of any patent infringement and with the court awarding attorneys' fees to Genetec.
Sensormatic Electronics, a subsidiary of Tyco International, which is now merged with Johnson Controls, filed a lawsuit against Genetec in Delaware in June 2020, alleging infringement of two patents, U.S. Patent No. 7,307,652 titled "Method and Apparatus for Object Tracking and Detection" ("the '652 Patent"), and U.S. Patent No. 9,463,954 titled "Access Control System for Override of Elevator Control and Method therefor" ("the Patent '954”).
On January 3, 2023, the Court invalidated the '652 patent following Genetec's motion for summary judgment. On February 15, 2023, Sensormatic unilaterally dismissed the remaining infringement claims related to the '954 patent with prejudice, leading the judge to issue a final judgment that exonerated Genetec.
Following the final judgment in its favor, Genetec requested that it be awarded its attorneys' fees, requiring the judge to find the case to be "exceptional" under U.S. patent laws. On March 27, 2024, the Court found the case to be exceptional and determined that Genetec was entitled to a substantial portion of its attorneys' fees. The Court also ordered the parties to meet to reach an agreement on the amount of attorneys' fees to be awarded, after which Genetec and Sensormatic reached an agreement on the amount to be paid to Genetec, ending litigation and ending appeals. This concludes all pending litigation between Sensormatic and Genetec.
"We have said in the past that Genetec considers this to be a simple case of friendly fire and this remains the case. That said, we take allegations of patent infringement very seriously, even when they come from a partner's subsidiary," said Pierre Racz, President of Genetec Inc. "Genetec has a forward-thinking approach to development. We don't copy our peers, but look to the future to create technology that doesn't yet exist. The successful conclusion of this litigation is a vindication of our innovative approach to product development."
In 2020, Genetec announced the favorable conclusion of a lawsuit filed by a non-practicing entity (NPE) that resulted in the payment of a settlement by the NPE to Genetec.
"Lawsuits like these can be seen as an accusation of plagiarism, so it's important that we set the record straight. It is Genetec's policy to vigorously defend itself against any patent claims that we deem unjustified and to seek attorneys' fees in all such cases. This result demonstrates to potential patent infringers how seriously we take these infringement allegations," said Jean-Yves Pikulik, Chief Intellectual Property Officer at Genetec Inc.
