CSIRO has settled another law suit against companies in the US, resulting in $220 million of licensing for its wireless local area network (WLAN) technology.
CSIRO scientists invented WLAN technology in the 1990s, and has been litigating against companies using it without a licence.
In 2009, CSIRO sued 14 technology companies over IEEE 802.11a and 802.11g wireless technologies. Defendant included Microsoft, Nintendo, HP , Dell, Toshiba, Asus, D-Link, Netgear, and Belkin. The settlement resulted in $205 million of licensing fees.
Despite the efforts of big name companies like Apple and Intel to invalidate the wireless patents, the agency has reached settlements with or licensed around 90 percent of the industry.
While the CSIRO’s agreement includes a confidentiality clause preventing it from revealing the names of the companies involved, the agency was litigating against US wireless carriers AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile.
The patents for the technology are due to expire in 2013, but already more than 5 billion products utilise WLAN technology, including computers (both desktop and notepad), smart phones, and gaming consoles.
According to the CSIRO, and the technology has netted it more than $430 million in revenues. CSIRO now has license agreements with 23 companies following this latest development
As a part of the CSIRO’s settlement it has signed a confidentiality agreement which stops it releasing the names of the companies involved.
Of course, the lawyers involved in the litigation will take their share of the windfall with half of the resulting proceeds then going back into the CSIRO and the other half to the Australian government.