U.S. Court Dismisses Patent Infringement Claims Against Ionlake
U.S. Court Dismisses Patent Infringement Claims Against Ionlake
The U.S. Federal Jury, Minnesota issued a complete defense verdict in favor of ionLake, LLC, affirming that the company did not infringe plaintiff CellTrust’s patents and that both CellTrust patents at issue in the lawsuit were invalid.
In 2019, a lawsuit was filed by CellTrust suing ionlake for patent infringement related to ionlakes's MyRepChat product.
The product facilitates a SMS communication platform and was the brainchild of Derrick Girard, a former financial professional who recognized a problem facing the financial services industry. The product was created with the aim to address security and compliance issues in client communications.
In its lawsuit, CellTrust argued its patents covered products that send SMS/MMS/Voice communications to archivers to meet Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)/Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) compliance requirements.
After eight-day trial deliberations, the jury found that Ionlake had not infringed any of CellTrust's patents and that all the asserted claims in CellTrust's patents (9,775,012 and 10,778,837) were invalid.
The jury found that CellTrust Corp. patents which directed text-message tracking to be invalid and obvious, hence it ruled in favor of Ionlake.
The Lead Trial Counsel, Patrick Arenz while welcoming the verdict said, “ionLake is grateful for the jury’s thoughtful attention to this case. The verdict fully vindicates what ionLake has maintained throughout the litigation: CellTrust’s patents are invalid and ionLake does not infringe them either. Robins Kaplan was retained less than two months before trial. It was an honor to represent ionLake and its founders, and to deliver this well-deserved result for them.”
Partner Emily Niles added, “ionLake is a proven innovator with its MyRepChat product. It was a privilege to secure a result at trial that recognizes that conclusion.”
The Robins Kaplan Trial team included Partners Patrick Arenz and Emily Niles, and Associate Austin Miller.
