The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld the decision of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) to invalidate two patents at the core of Securus Technologies, Inc.’s patent portfolio, including its “crown jewel” patent related to the provisioning of correctional communications using VoIP technology.
A three-judge Federal Circuit panel summarily affirmed the PTAB’s invalidation of all claims of two Securus patents – U.S. Patent Nos. 7,899,167 and 8,577,003 – that were once centerpieces in Securus’ decade-long strategy to intimidate competitors into settling patent lawsuits and paying millions in license fees.
The unanimous decision signals an end to existing claims by Securus that GTL infringes the ‘167 patent in Texas federal court and will prevent any new suits based on these patents, opening the market to greater competition.
“This is another great victory for GTL and the correctional communications market,” said GTL CEO Brian Oliver. “Securus used these patents and others for years to bully our industry. First the PTAB and now the Federal Circuit have confirmed that these patents didn’t cover any genuine invention.”
In the earlier PTAB ruling on the ‘167 patent, Securus was found to have made “incorrect” statements of fact to patent officials during the original U.S. Patent and Trademark Office examination to have the patent issue, false statements that ultimately played a role in leading the USPTO to issue the patent.
“During the past three years we promised to challenge the patents that we believe represent the core of Securus’ portfolio,” Oliver continued. “As a result, we have invalidated hundreds of claims and confirmed what GTL has long said – Securus is merely a patent predator, not an innovator,” stated Oliver.
Securus had filed at least 12 patent infringement lawsuits against 19 industry competitors during a 12-year period, stifling innovation and creating confusion for customers and vendors alike.
“Since GTL took up the fight against these tactics nearly four years ago, other than baseless lawsuits against GTL, Securus has not filed a single new patent case against another industry competitor. That’s a victory for everyone.”
(Learn More. The District 36 Court in Michigan (Detroit) needed to reduce the long lines and issues with non-payment of fines. To do this, they worked with GTL to increase efficiency and reduce headaches for consumers. Courtesy of GTL and YouTube)
Global Tel Link (GTL) is the leading provider of integrated correctional technology solutions, delivering financial value, security, and ease of operation to our customers through visionary products and solutions at the forefront of corrections innovation.
As a trusted correctional industry leader, GTL provides service to approximately fifty percent of inmates nationwide, including service to 32 state departments of corrections, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 32 of the largest city/county facilities.
