Cases & Deals

Nikon successfully resolves patent infringement dispute involving communication between digital cameras and personal computers

Client(s) Nikon Corporation and Nikon Inc.

Jones Day defended Nikon Corporation and Nikon Inc. against allegations that their digital cameras infringed patents owned by Papst Licensing GmbH & Co. KG ("Papst"), a German patent-holding company. The case was part of a multi-district litigation, in which Papst accused manufacturers of digital cameras of infringing four patents. The asserted patents relate to an interface device that facilitates high-speed data transfer between an input/output device and a host device without the need for specialized drivers. Papst accused of infringement more than 1000 digital cameras based on their ability to communicate with computers in either USB Mass Storage Class mode or USB Picture Transfer Protocol mode. Because Papst failed to comply with Court Orders, the Court sanctioned Papst and barred it from advancing any arguments for infringement that were not explicitly set forth in its infringement contentions. In related IPR proceedings, the PTAB found unpatentable 116 claims.

Papst Licensing GmbH & Co. KG v. Nikon Corporation, Nikon Americas Inc. and Nikon Inc., Nos. 1-08-cv-02510 (N.D. Ill.); 1-15-00499 (D. Del.); 1-07-mc-00493 (D.D.C.)