Hp, Intergraph Settle - At A Price

The Register reports that Palo Alto-based hardware manufacturer Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP) has agreed to pay $141 meg (108.5 meg euro) to settle its patent disputes alongside software maker Intergraph Corp. of Huntsville, Alabama. The companies issued variety statements to the outcome that (i) they volition straightaway dismiss, take or terminate all pending lawsuits; (ii) piece reserving the correct to reinstate them; (iii) HP gets licences to all Intergraph patents piece (iv) Intergraph is licensed to purpose all HP patents inwards fields covered past times its electrical current products.

Intergraph sued inwards 2002 claiming that Hewlett-Packard, Dell Inc. as well as Gateway Inc. infringed patents related to its systems using Intel Corp. chips. Related settlements were reached terminal twelvemonth alongside Intel, Dell as well as Gateway. Palo Alto-based Hewlett-Packard had been inwards litigation alongside Intergraph inwards both USA federal courtroom as well as inwards the European Union. Intergraph said it would tape almost $11 meg inwards legal expenses for the root quarter of 2005 to offset the settlement. Said Intergraph CEO as well as President Halsey Wise:

"We believe that the short town alongside HP is inwards the best involvement of our shareholders, as well as nosotros are pleased to accept received a license to HP's extensive patent portfolio for our fields of business".

Intergraph, which has to a greater extent than than 3,000 employees inwards sixty countries, specialises inwards graphics software to brand maps, cook as well as piece of job factories as well as ships, dispatch emergency service as well as create practise infrastructure.

Invent: tin live on a less attractive commercial option to "infringe"

It seems to the IPKat that i of the best ways for a companionship to brand coin is to ensure that exclusively the richest as well as moast successful companies infringe its patents.