Navico Successfully Fights Meritless Patent Lawsuit

Tulsa, Okla. (Law Firm Newswire) January 14, 2013 – Navico — the world leader in recreational marine electronics and parent company to the Lowrance, Simrad Yachting and B&G brands — announced today that it has successfully concluded litigation with ArCzar. In December 2011, ArCzar filed a lawsuit against Navico asserting patent infringement. Committed to vigorously defending against attacks of this kind, Navico’s policy is to refuse speedy cash settlements for baseless litigation. As a result, ArCzar’s frivolous lawsuit backfired, and in a rare turn of events ArCzar paid Navico thousands of dollars to make the matter go away.

ArCzar alleged that Navico had infringed upon 3 of its patents. However, after initial discovery and unsuccessful settlement discussions, ArCzar withdrew its patent infringement lawsuit.

Meanwhile, Navico — in a strategic move to eliminate the uncertainty of future patent litigation from ArCzar — filed a lawsuit against the company seeking a declaration of invalidity and non-infringement of all ArCzar patents. Additionally, ArCzar was provided with a proposed settlement agreement and covenant not to sue that would resolve all pending litigation, including the lawsuit filed by Navico. In the settlement agreement, Navico demanded recovery of a portion of its attorney’s fees for the original litigation, and, as part of the settlement, ArCzar paid Navico. Navico filed a Notice of Voluntary Dismissal, which the court acted on December 3, 2012, with its entry of an order stating “Civil Case Terminated.”

According to a recent Reuters interview with Santa Clara University Law Professor Colleen Chein, in 2012, “61 percent of all patent lawsuits filed through December 1 were brought by patent-assertion entities, or individuals and companies that work aggressively and opportunistically to assert patents as a business model rather than build their own technology.” Navico sees itself on the frontlines in the war against these ‘patent trolls,’ and is among a rapidly growing number of technology companies aggressively defending against unwarranted patent lawsuits.

“We are extremely pleased that this meritless lawsuit has been disposed in such a prompt fashion,” said Dona Edwards, Chief Intellectual Property Counsel, Navico. “It is Navico’s policy that we will not knuckle under to attacks of this kind.” Navico was represented in this case by Alston & Bird LLP of Charlotte, North Carolina.

For more information on Navico and the Navico patent lawsuit, please visit www.navico.com.

About Navico
A privately held, international corporation, Navico is currently the world’s largest marine electronics company, and is the parent company to leading marine electronics brands: Lowrance, Simrad Yachting and B&G. Navico has approximately 1,500 employees globally and distribution in more than 100 countries worldwide. www.navico.com