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Tele-Cons Inc. sues over Fluorescent Light
(September 3, 2010)-In recent news, General Electric Co., Koninklijke Philips Electronics NV and Wal-Mart stores have been sued by Plaintiff Michael Moisin of Tele-Cons Inc. for infringing upon a patent covering fluorescent light circuitry.
The complaint was filed in Eastern District of Texas not only arguing infringement but also inducement of infringement through the sale of products. The complaint alleged that the products that infringe include GE’s Energy Smart FLE15/2/DV/R30 and Philips’ Marathon Classic 65BR30. The Patent at issue is U.S. Patent Number 5,955,841, which is described as a ballast circuit for a compact fluorescent lamp designed to enable a smoother dimming feature.
The complaint states that the defendant retailers should have checked and known that the products infringed.
The plaintiff decided the accused products infringed its patent after conducting evaluations on acquired samples of the defendants’ dimmable CFLs, the complaint states. Tele-Cons sued only after giving the companies written notice of infringement, it says.
Tele-Cons alleges that certain defendants are importing infringing products in addition to making and selling them, but while the option to pursue a parallel action in the U.S. International Trade Commission has been raised, no decisions have yet been made.
