HID Global settles patent lawsuits

March 31, 2014
Lawsuits related to multi-technology readers against 3 companies put to rest

AUSTIN, Texas, March 31, 2014 ISC WestHID Global, trusted leader in solutions for the delivery of secure identity, today announced that it has settled patent-infringement lawsuits against Apollo Security, Applied Wireless IDentifications Group (AWID) Inc., and Secura Key, a division of Soundcraft, Inc. The lawsuits included HID Global’s multi-technology reader patents.

“We are pleased that the lawsuits filed by HID Global and ASSA ABLOY were amicably settled and, furthermore, that AWID and Secura Key have agreed to license our multi-technology IP applicable to their product lines,” said Dr. Tam Hulusi, Senior Vice President of Strategic Innovation and Intellectual Property with HID Global.

The two patents referenced in the lawsuits are U.S. Patent No. 5,952,935 (entitled “Programmable Channel Search Reader”) and U.S. Patent No. 7,439,862 (entitled “Antenna Array For An RFID Reader Compatible With Transponders Operating At Different Carrier Frequencies”).  These patents, along with HID Global’s Registered Copyright No. TXu001352802/2006-02-03 (which relates to HID Global’s Corporate 1000 format), are included in HID Global’s Extended Licensing Program, through which RFID reader manufacturers can license certain HID Global multi-technology intellectual property (IP).

In particular, the lawsuits against Apollo and Soundcraft involved HID’s ‘935 patent. The lawsuit against AWID involved HID’s ‘935 and ‘862 patents. Terms of the agreements are confidential.

About HID Global

HID Global is the trusted source for innovative products, services, solutions, and know-how related to the creation, management, and use of secure identities for millions of customers around the world. The company’s served markets include physical and logical access control, including strong authentication and credential management; card printing and personalization; visitor management systems; highly secure government and citizen ID; and identification RFID technologies used in animal ID and industry and logistics applications. The company’s primary brands include ActivID®, EasyLobby®, FARGO®, IdenTrust®, LaserCard®, Lumidigm®, and HID®. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, HID Global has over 2,200 employees worldwide and operates international offices that support more than 100 countries. HID Global® is an ASSA ABLOY Group brand. For more information, visit www.hidglobal.com