SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Dec. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- TASER
International (NASDAQ: TASR), the global leader in Smart Weapons
and digital evidence management solutions for body-worn cameras,
today announced it is challenging the validity of Digital Ally
patents in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Public documents,
including TASER's own presentations from as early as 2009, clearly
establish that Digital Ally did not invent "auto-activation" camera
technology. Under U.S. law, a patent is not valid if it claims
technology publicly described by another before the patent's filing
date. Digital's patents therefore cannot cover TASER's (and
others') prior, public innovations in this area.
Digital sued TASER earlier this year for alleged infringement of
two patents with priority dates in 2013. TASER asserts the
complaint is meritless, that its Axon Signal technology does not
infringe, and that the asserted patents are invalid. Regarding
invalidity, TASER previously filed counterclaims against Digital
Ally alleging inequitable conduct in the patent office based on its
nondisclosure of highly relevant prior art, including the ICOP
20/20-W system, an in-car video recorder system designed for law
enforcement and initiated by a number of automatic triggers
including light bar and speed triggers. In addition to its
litigation defenses, TASER now affirmatively challenges the
validity of Digital's patents directly in the patent office. A
petition challenging Digital's second patent in suit will follow in
December.
"Normally, we do not comment on ongoing litigation," said
Doug Klint, TASER's General Counsel.
"However, because Digital Ally has repeatedly and falsely claimed
that it invented the technology to wirelessly activate cameras, we
felt it appropriate to share our recent filings on this matter to
provide our customers and investors with an accurate invention
timeline. We believe these public documents clearly demonstrate
that Digital Ally did not invent the technology in question, and
has attempted improperly to claim the inventions of TASER
International and others."
As disclosed in TASER's recent patent office petitions and in
litigation discovery, TASER designed and disclosed its own "TACOM"
(TASER Communications) wireless auto-activation technology at least
as early as April 2009, years before
Digital's 2013 patent applications. Public proof of TASER's prior
design includes at least the following:
- The PowerPoint slide below was presented at TASER's
April 28-29, 2009 Evidence.Com
Technology Summit, and clearly shows TACOM architecture with
wireless activation from both weapons and vehicle light bar.
- The TACOM wireless activation technology was also described in
TASER's version 15 training program (Slide 52 below), which was
mailed to all TASER instructors and shipped on DVDs with every
weapon sold starting in July 2009:
https://youtu.be/A54-Q73vOsQ
- TASER's CEO Rick Smith further
described this technology publicly at a 2009 TASER User Conference,
which was webcast live on July 27,
2009. Click this link to see the relevant video segment:
https://youtu.be/Urxgh58OOJI
- TASER's website also disclosed its TACOM technology, which
allows a TASER device to communicate wirelessly to Axon cameras for
time synchronization, event triggering and logging. Click this link
(then select the "technology" link under the photo of the X3) to
visit the independent internet archive to see the original web page
with the TACOM description below from March
27, 2010.
Links to Key Litigation and U.S.P.T.O. Filings
TASER's U.S.P.T.O. petitions and litigation counterclaims listed
below may be accessed at www.taser.com/legal. The current petitions
address invalidity of Digital's U.S. Patent No. 8,781,292. An
additional petition regarding the invalidity of Digital's second
patent-in-suit, U.S. Patent No. 9,253,452, will be filed later in
December.
- TASER's 7-20-16 Amended Answer
and Counterclaims in Digital Ally patent litigation pending in the
District of Kansas, No.
2:16-cv-02032-CM-TJJ
- TASER's 12-1-16 IPR Petition
pending in U.S.P.T.O. No. IPR2017-00375 (Pierce/ICOP prior art
references)
- TASER's 12-1-16 IPR Petition
pending in U.S.P.T.O. No. IPR2017-00376 (Vasavada/Kashiwa prior art
references)
TASER Social Media Links
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TASER.International
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/71228
- TASER Blog: http://blog.taser.com/
- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/OfficialTASER
- YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/taserinternational1
About TASER International, Inc.
TASER International makes communities safer with innovative
public safety technologies. Founded in 1993, TASER first
transformed law enforcement with its electrical weapons. TASER
continues to define smarter policing with its Axon brand which
includes a growing suite of connected products and services from
body cameras and digital evidence management tools to mobile apps.
More than 175,000 lives and countless dollars have been saved
with TASER's products and services.
Learn more
at www.TASER.com and www.axon.io or by calling
(800) 978-2737.
TASER® is a registered trademark of TASER
International, Inc., registered in the U.S. All rights
reserved. TASER logo, Axon, Axon Body 2, Axon Flex, and
Axon Signal are trademarks of TASER International, Inc.
Note to Investors
Please visit http://investor.taser.com,
http://blog.taser.com, www.twitter.com/officialtaser and
https://www.facebook.com/TASER.International where TASER
discloses information from time to time about the company, its
financial information, and its business.
Visit our Investor Relations Safe Harbor Statement at:
http://investor.taser.com/safeHarbor.cfm
For investor relations information please contact Arvind Bobra via email at IR@taser.com.
CONTACT: Steve Tuttle
Vice President of Communications
TASER International, Inc.
Press@TASER.com
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SOURCE TASER International, Inc.