KVH Industries Wins Patent Trial

A jury for the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota ruled that KVH Industries, Inc., is not liable for infringing King Controls' U.S. Patent 6,864,846. According to the verdict, the jury found that claim 5 of the patent, the only claim at issue, was in fact invalid due to the existence of prior art as well as the obviousness of the technology.

King Controls said that KVH was liable for royalties and sought an injunction against selling certain products because satellite switching capabilities present in KVH's TracVision mobile satellite TV systems had infringed on a patent that King Controls filed in 2000. KVH successfully contended that the technology had been developed prior to King Controls' patent application and was already in use in the industry, including in KVH's own products, thereby invalidating King Control's patent claim. KVH was represented at trial in U.S. District Court by Foley Hoag LLP of Boston, MA. KVH was also represented by Merchant & Gould P.C.