GIGAOM
MATTHEW HIRSCH
6 MAY 08
If Ruckus Wireless wins a recently filed lawsuit against Netgear, the Wi-Fi tech developer might want to send a thank-you note to the Patent and Trademark Office. Ruckus sued Netgear and another wireless network developer, Rayspan, in federal court this week, claiming that Netgear infringed on two of its patents. The PTO issued Ruckus one of those patents last year; the second patent was issued just three weeks ago.
Ruckus says in a legal filing that both patents hold innovative technologies that helped make Ruckus “the success that it is today.” If the federal court finds that Netgear and Rayspan infringed on either one, the court could halt sales of a new Netgear wireless router. So the issuance of the second patent could really help Ruckus in court, the same way a second big gun could help a warrior on the battlefield.
Did the issuance of the second patent persuade Ruckus to take Netgear to court? Not according to one of Ruckus’ lawyers, Colby Springer. The timing was “pure coincidence,” he said. It just “happened to issue at a very convenient time.” Springer said he’s seen patents issued in as short as nine months and as long as seven years. This one took just under two years.