A Canadian court ruling has dismissed a parent infringement claim against Tyco Safety Products Canada Ltd., also known as DSC. The home security products manufacturer prevailed in the ongoing lawsuit filed in 2004 by competitor Paradox Security Systems Ltd.
Paradox had claimed certain legacy DSC alarm panels violated its patents. However, the court ruled that Paradox’s patents were invalid on multiple grounds, thus dismissing all infringement allegations against DSC.
According to the court, Paradox had improperly modified the scope of its patents only weeks before launching the lawsuit by filing disclaimers against the patents. The modified patents were then deemed invalid because they were anticipated and obvious in light of prior art.
The court also found the original patents by Paradox to also be invalid because theywere substantially similar to earlier issued patents and technologies, including a product marketed by DSC in the mid-1980’s.
