Intel and McAfee face anti-virus patent complaint

Intel and McAfee have been targeted in a patent infringement complaint centring on anti-virus technology.

In a complaint filed by Texas-based SecurityProfiling at the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, the two companies have been accused of infringing six patents.

The patents in suit are US numbers 8,266,699; 8,984,644; 9,100,431; 9,117,069; 9,118,708; and 9,225,686.

According to the complaint, between 2004 and  2005 SecurityProfiling provided all of its technology to McAfee ahead of a proposed buyout.

The complaint said that in 2005, McAfee assured SecurityProfiling that it would be making an offer to complete the buyout but then “ceased further communications” while never returning the technical information that had been handed over.

McAfee, according to SecurityProfiling, now makes and sells multiple systems and methods for responding to security vulnerabilities, including systems that were developed after McAfee’s due diligence of trade secrets and other technology disclosed to McAfee.

The technology, according to the complaint, is also marketed by Intel Security after Intel acquired McAfee in 2004.

“Defendants have directly infringed and continue to infringe … by using the Intel Security’s security management systems, and particularly have been making, having had made, using, offering for sale, exporting from this country and selling systems for responding to security vulnerabilities in a system of computing devices,” the complaint said.

SecurityProfiling is seeking a judgment that the defendants’ infringement was wilful, as well as triple damages and attorneys’ fees and expenses.