Out-Law News

Court finds that internet was used to infringe imaging patent


US on-line imaging company Internet Pictures Corporation (iPIX) has announced that it has been awarded over $1 million in damages against rival companies Infinite Pictures and Graphic Effects, marking what it claims is one of the first infringements of a patent on the internet.

The decision by a federal court found that iPIX has the exclusive rights to dynamic imaging created with a fisheye lens, in accordance with its patent which allows users to interact within an image, looking in 360° in any direction. Its rival companies had incorporated this technology in their web sites and products.

"This landmark case validates our patent portfolio and the federal court has stated loud and clear that iPIX technology is pioneering, unique, and protected," said Jim Phillips, CEO of iPIX. "A judicially tested and vindicated patent portfolio makes iPIX a much stronger company and gives us a tremendous advantage in penetrating new markets and growing our company."

The company claims that the possibility of an emerging standard in dynamic imaging is more likely as a result of this decision and that the case may become a landmark in the field of patent law. In a statement, iPIX said: “This is one of the first times that a patent infringement case has successfully been brought against a company that used the internet to commit acts of patent infringement.”

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