SAN FRANCISCO (Legal Newsline) - A Korean company last week sued the world’s largest dedicated security technology company for allegedly infringing on its patents for anti-virus and firewall software.
CAP Co. Ltd. filed its complaint against McAfee Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California Nov. 17.
McAfee, a wholly owned subsidiary of Intel Corp., makes anti-virus, anti-spyware and anti-malware software for computers.
CAP Co., in its six-page complaint, accuses McAfee of infringing on U.S. Patent Nos. RE42196, RE44249 and 8,544,078.
“On information and belief, Defendant McAfee develops, markets and distributes infringing products, including McAfee Internet Security, McAfee AntiVirus Plus, McAfee Total Protection, McAfee Mobile Security, McAfee LiveSafe, McAfee All Access, McAfee Small Business Security, McAfee Server Security Suite Essentials, McAfee Endpoint Protection, McAfee VirusScan, McAfee VirusScan, McAfee SaaS Total Protection, McAfee Host Intrusion Prevention and McAfee Next Generation Firewall products,” lawyers for CAP Co. wrote.
“McAfee contributed and continues to contribute to acts of infringement by causing and encouraging others to use the aforementioned products.”
According to the company’s filing, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued it the ‘196 patent, entitled “System and method for blocking harmful information online, and computer readable medium therefor,” in March 2011; the ‘249 patent, entitled “Methods for blocking harmful information online,” in May 2013; and the ‘078 patent, entitled “Flexible network security system and method for permitting trusted process,” in September 2013.
CAP Co. notes that the ‘196 and ‘249 patents are reissue patents derived from a patent issued in June 2006, U.S. Patent No. 7,062,552. The patents are directed to methods for protection of computer systems by the blocking of harmful information such as viruses.
The ‘078 patent is directed at systems and methods for controlling inbound traffic by using a firewall.
CAP Co., which is being represented by San Francisco-based Hausfeld LLP, is seeking a jury trial, attorneys’ fees, damages and costs.
It also is asking for pre-judgment and post-judgment interest on the damages.
From Legal Newsline: Reach Jessica Karmasek by email at patents@legalnewsline.com.