T-Mobile and HTC targeted in patent suit

Texas-based Mobile Synergy Solutions has sued wireless network provider T-Mobile and phone manufacturer HTC for patent infringement.

Filed on Wednesday, October 12, at the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Tyler Division, Mobile Synergy’s suit accused the companies of infringing two patents by providing visual voicemail services, and contact synchronisation systems and features to their customers.

The patents concerned are US numbers 8,494,490 and 8,792,874.

Wireless service MetroPCS, which is part of T-Mobile, is also named as a defendant, along with a number of mobile manufacturers.

According to the suit, HTC makes and sells devices for use on the T-Mobile and MetroPCS networks.

The T-Mobile visual voicemail application, which is a value-added service, is alleged to have infringed Mobile Synergy’s patents.

“Defendants’ continued acts of infringement including inducing, encouraging, aiding, abetting, and directing others, namely their direct customers and MetroPCS/T-Mobile subscribers and end-users, to practise the asserted patents constitutes indirect infringement,” said the suit.

It also claimed that T-Mobile and MetroPCS’s infringement has been “wilful, deliberate, and intentional”.

Mobile Synergy is seeking a jury trial, an order that this is an exceptional case, punitive damages, triple damages, and reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs.