Amazon facing Fire, Echo patent claims
Amazon is facing wide-ranging patent infringement claims from a Washington-based wireless technology developer.
Flexiworld Technologies filed the claims at the US District Court for the District of Western Texas earlier this week.
In the complaint, Flexiworld accuses Amazon of infringing ten patents through its Echo and Fire devices, which include tablets, ear buds, and smart speakers.
The patents cover a range of wireless technologies including voice activation and devices capable of connecting to televisions and other output devices.
According to the complaint, “Flexiworld’s innovative work and results have been widely recognised in the industry”, while its “patents have been repeatedly forward cited by major technology companies worldwide, including by Amazon”.
Flexiworld is seeking an order requiring Amazon to pay royalties to the Washington company on a going-forward basis.
The Western Texas district court is considered to be a popular venue for non-practising entities (NPEs) and so-called ‘patent trolls’.
Just last month, Patent Progress, which is backed by the Computer and Communications Industries Association (CCIA), published an article highlighting a spike in litigation in the district.
Josh Landau, patent counsel at the CCIA, attributes the growing popularity of Western Texas with NPEs to the appointment of Judge Alan Albright in 2018.
According to RPX, Albright has said he will “not stay cases pending the outcome of inter partes reviews (IPRs) absent special circumstances, as he believes that patent owners deserve jury trials in federal court”.
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