Minneapolis, MN – Vexilar Inc, earned a critical victory maintaining the validity of its patented WiFi based, sonar technology in a dispute with a Lithuanian company, Deeper UAB, which unsuccessfully tried to invalidate Vexilar’s patent in an Inter Partes review (“IPR”)proceeding.
On January 24, 2019, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) issued a 44-page decision in Vexilar’s favor denying Deeper’s IPR petition to invalidate Vexilar’s U.S. Patent No. 9,628,592 B2. Related to using WiFi to broadcast depth and fish locations to a smart display, such as a smart phone, tablet or personal computer.
The case began when Vexilar’s attempts to license its patented WiFi sonar technology to Deeper ended in Deeper filing an IPR with the U.S. Patent Office in an effort to avoid royalty payments for using Vexilar’s technology. The Patent Trial and Appeal Board found Deeper’s petition failed in large part to prove a reasonable likelihood that Vexilar’s patent was invalid, and therefore denied Deeper’s IPR Petition.
“This latest win validates our patented WiFi-based sonar technology and shows the industry Vexilar is the true inventor of the technology and will defend it.” said Vexilar’s Marketing Manager Tom Zenanko. “The marine and sport fishing industry should now understand we are the rightful inventors and owners of this technology.”
SonarPhone patents in Australia and China are already in place and EU patents were in place waiting for the final ruling from the PTAB before being issued. Globally, this is a significant win for Vexilar. It vindicates the merits of a key patent for WIFI sonar and provides patent certainty and exclusivity for Vexilar for many years to come.