GUY NORRIS / LOS ANGELES
Legal wrangle dates back to May 2002 when the company alleged string of infringements
After over a year on the offensive, Honeywell's legal attack on competing terrain awareness and warning system manufacturers has stumbled after a Delaware judge threw out its allegations of patent infringements against Universal Avionics Systems and Sandel Avionics.
Honeywell plans to appeal against the decision, but is fighting an antitrust counterclaim originally lodged by Universal in September last year. The long-running legal wrangle began in May 2002, when Honeywell alleged a string of patent infringements by Goodrich Avionics Systems, Sandel and Universal over the technology developed for the AlliedSignal enhanced ground-proximity warning system, acquired by Honeywell when it took over AlliedSignal.
In August last year, it added ACSS, a joint L-3 Communications and Thales company to the list of alleged offenders.
Although Thales and Goodrich later settled with Honeywell, "Universal and Sandel fought to the end", says Scott Bornstein, an attorney at the Greenberg Traurig law firm which is acting for Universal. "We have succeeded in getting all Honeywell's patent claims thrown out, and Universal is now the plaintiff. Honeywell is defending against our claims that the patents originally asserted against Universal are invalid - and our antitrust and unfair competition claims."
Honeywell says the company "believes the ruling is wrong as a matter of law and fact, and plans to appeal [against] the decision". It is more circumspect over the antitrust hearing which it cannot publicly comment on while it is sub judice.
Source: Flight International
