HCL’s US subsidiary faces patent infringement claim with respect to one of its software products

HCL America, the US subsidiary of software exporter HCL Technologies, is facing a patent infringement claim related to one of its software products filed by Texas-based Coretek Services.

The lawsuit has been filed by a company Coretek Licensing – a legal arm of technology services company Coretek Services in the Southern District Court of New York. It has been alleged that HCL’s software product, HCL Sametime, had infringed on its patent. HCL Sametime is a client–server application and middleware platform that provides real-time, unified communications and collaboration for enterprises. Those capabilities include presence information, enterprise instant messaging, web conferencing, community collaboration, and telephony capabilities and integration.

Coretek has alleged that the features and capabilities HCL Sametime provides such as enabling wireless devices (like smartphones) to initiate network connections without using a user’s home location details are similar to the patents held by Coretek and has therefore sought a jury trial on those patents and has sought damages on account of all alleged “infringed sales”.

According to Coretek’s petition, three of the four patents held by it relate to wireless communications and one relates to phone service over the Internet or the Voice Over Internet Protocol. It has alleged that HCL Sametime infringes upon at least one or multiple claims in these four patents.

According to experts, HCL America’s intellectual property compliance team would have to prove that the company’s product was different from the patent claims. The company would have to prove that it has developed another method to enable a wireless device connection without using an operator’s home location register.

HCL America is due to respond to the lawsuit filed by Coretek Licensing, by 28 September, 2020.