Hasbro targeted in Furby patent infringement suit

Multinational toy and board game company Hasbro has been named in a patent infringement lawsuit.

Dialware Communications, a US company which develops technology used in toys, filed its suit at the US District Court for the Central District of California, Western Division on Monday, December 5.

The technology company argued that Hasbro wilfully infringed its patents through re-designed Furby products, which are robotic toys.

US patent numbers 7,183,929; 7,383,297; 7,568,963; 9,039,482; and 9,275,517 are at the centre of the suit.

The ‘929 patent is titled “Control of toys and devices by sounds”, the ‘963 patent is called “Interactive toys”, and the ‘482 is called “Interactive toy apparatus and method of using same”.

The ‘297 patent is called “Method to use acoustic signals for computer communications”, while the ‘517 is titled “Method to use acoustic signals for computer communications”. 

These patents were registered at the US Patent and Trademark Office between 2007 and this year.

Hasbro, according to the suit, has infringed the patents through the Furby Party Rockers, Furby Boom Crystal and Furby Boom Crystal Furblings products.  

These toys were re-introduced to the market in 2012. They use “sound codes” and “audio signals” to communicate and interact with a player through a Furby app.

Dialware Communications is asking for supplemental damages, triple damages, costs, attorney’s fees and a trial by jury.