Alarm.com on Tuesday filed a federal lawsuit against SecureNet and Protect America alleging the companies infringed on patents held by the firm related to the delivery of interactive security services.
Specifically, Alarm.com accuses the two home security providers of selling products that feature no less than seven patented technologies held by the company. These include:
- United States Patent No. 7,113,090 (“the ‘090 patent) - System and Method for Connecting Security Systems to a Wireless Device
- United States Patent No. 7,633,385 (“the ’385 patent”) - Method and System for Communicating With and Controlling an Alarm System From a Remote Server
- United States Patent No. 8,395,494 (“the ’494 patent”) - System and Method for Alarm Signaling During Alarm System Destruction
- United States Patent No. 8,493,202 (“the ’202 patent”) - Alarm Signaling Technology
- United States Patent No. 8,612,591 (“the ’591 patent”) - Security System with Networked Touchscreen
- United States Patent No. 8,860,804 (“the ’804 patent”) - Automated Upload of Content Based on Captured Event
- And, United States Patent No. 9,141,276 (“the ’276 patent”) - Integrated Interface for Mobile Device.
Among the SecureNet products that allegedly infringe upon Alarm.com’s patents, according to the complaint, include various “Interactive Gateway Modules,” such as its “GSM Interactive Gateway Model,” along with SecureNet cameras, the SmartLink mobile app and the Helix wireless security system.
“SecureNet has known of the existence of the ’090, ’385, ’494, ’202, ’591, and ’276 patents, and its acts of infringement have been willful and in disregard for the Patents-in-Suit, without any reasonable basis for believing that it had a right to engage in the infringing conduct,” the complaint states.
For its part, as one of SecureNet’s biggest customers, Protect America, is accused of reselling the offending products to its customer base, such as the Protect America by SecureNet Technologies mobile app. Alarm.com alleges that Protect America had prior knowledge of at least three of the patents in questions due to its prior interactions with the company as one of their customers.
In a statement supplied to SecurityInfoWatch.com, Protect American spokesperson Tim Krebs, said that the company is looking into the allegations made by Alarm.com in the complaint.
“We are aware of this development and are conducting a detailed investigation,” the statement reads. “Protect America takes seriously any allegations of patent infringement and will respond accordingly.”
As of press time Wednesday, calls and emails seeking comment from SecureNet regarding the lawsuit had not been returned.
Previous Litigation
Of course, this isn’t the first patent dispute that SecureNet has been involved with in the industry. The company was sued by Icontrol Networks, which is now owned by Alarm.com, in September of 2014. That lawsuit, which involved the ’591 patent, was later voluntarily dismissed by Icontrol the following March. Both Icontrol and SecureNet engaged in further discussions related to Icontrol’s patents after the lawsuit, but Icontrol would once again bring a patent infringement lawsuit against the company just six months later.
In the complaint filed in that case, lawyers for Icontrol asserted that SecureNet had “misrepresented the lawsuit’s dismissal by, in part, informing industry members that Icontrol did not have a meritorious case and neglecting to mention that SecureNet had previously represented to Icontrol that it had prepared noninfringement contentions and had analyzed prior art references.”
Alarm.com is asking the court to prohibit both SecureNet and Protect America from selling the infringing products and is also seeking monetary damages.
