Eolas Technologies Reaches Settlement with Sun Microsystems in Texas Patent Infringement Lawsuit

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Jun 06, 2011, 06:39 ET

TYLER, Texas, June 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Internet technology provider Eolas Technologies Inc. has reached another settlement in a Texas patent infringement lawsuit over two company patents that enable Internet browsers to host embedded interactive applications. Santa Clara, Calif.-based Sun Microsystems Inc. became the latest defendant to settle the federal infringement claims filed by Eolas.

Sun Microsystems, which was acquired by Redwood City, Calif.-based Oracle Corporation (Nasdaq: ORCL) in January 2010, signed the settlement on June 6, 2011. The lawsuit remains pending against several additional defendants, Eolas Technologies Inc. v. Adobe Systems Inc., et al., No. 6:09-cv-446.

Eolas has already reached settlement agreements with JPMorgan Chase (NYSE: JPM) and New Frontier Media (Nasdaq: NOOF), which also signed a licensing agreement covering the two Eolas patents.

Eolas conducts leading-edge research and development to create innovative technologies in data analysis, visualization, collaboration and networking. For nearly 20 years, Eolas' innovations have enabled corporations around the world to enhance their products and improve their customers' website experiences.

The lawsuit includes claims related to two Eolas patents, U.S. Patent No. 5,838,906 ('906 Patent) and U.S. Patent No. 7,599,985 ('985 Patent).

The '906 Patent embodies technology that enabled web browsers for the first time to act as platforms for fully interactive embedded applications. This advanced browser technology provides rich interactive online experiences for more than a billion web users worldwide. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted the '906 Patent in November 1998.

The '906 Patent was the subject of prior litigation against Microsoft Corp. that resulted in a 2004 federal judgment of more than $565 million in favor of Eolas. The USPTO has affirmed the validity of the '906 Patent in three separate proceedings, including two patent reexaminations, the most recent of which concluded in February 2009.

The '985 Patent is a continuation of the '906 patent, and allows websites to add fully interactive embedded applications to their online offerings through the use of plug-in and AJAX (asynchronous JavaScript and XML) web development techniques. The Patent Office issued the '985 Patent in October 2009.

Companies still named as defendants in the lawsuit include San Jose, Calif.-based Adobe Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: ADBE); Seattle-based Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN); Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple Inc. (Nasdaq: AAPL); Vernon Hills, Ill.-based CDW Corp.; New York-based Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C); San Jose, Calif.-based eBay Inc. (Nasdaq: EBAY); Plano, Texas-based Frito-Lay Inc. [a subsidiary of Purchase, New York-based PepsiCo Inc. (NYSE: PEP)]; Scottsdale, Ariz.-based The Go Daddy Group Inc. (Nasdaq: DADY); Mountain View, Calif.-based Google Inc. (Nasdaq: GOOG); Plano, Texas-based J.C. Penney Co. Inc. (NYSE: JCP); Delray Beach, FL-based Office Depot Inc. (NYSE: ODP); Plano, Texas-based Perot Systems Corp., which is now known as Dell Services after being acquired by Round Rock, Texas-based Dell Inc. (Nasdaq: DELL); Chicago, Ill.-based Playboy Enterprises International Inc. (NYSE: PLA); Plano, Texas-based Rent-A-Center Inc. (Nasdaq: RCII); Framingham, Mass.-based Staples Inc. (Nasdaq: SPLS); Dallas-based Texas Instruments Inc. (NYSE: TXN); Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo! Inc. (Nasdaq: YHOO); and San Bruno, Calif.-based YouTube LLC, a subsidiary of Google Inc.