Wi-Lan trial pushed to February for settlement

Wi-Lan on Friday arranged for a last-minute delay in the trial for its 2007 Wi-Fi lawsuit in an attempt to negotiate settlements. The company's complaint will now go to trial on February 2, almost a month later than the originally planned January 4. It wasn't clear which of the companies, including Apple, Best Buy, Dell, HP, Intel, Sony, Texas Instruments and Toshiba, were involved in the talks.

The Ottawa, Canada-based plaintiff claims to own key technology for Wi-Fi and DSL power management and has operated in the classic manner of a patent troll. It no longer has any products of its own and instead trying to force royalty payments or flat rate settlements as its primary means of business. Most of these firms regularly target as many major firms as they can in blanket suits, hoping that some will settle even if others win.

Along with the 2007 suit, it expanded its claims to target phone designers such as Motorola, UTStarcom (now PCD) and RIM. It just this year tried to claim ownership of Bluetooth, targeting companies like Apple and Toshiba again as well as drawing in new companies like Acer and LG.

By Electronista Staff