Vendor Intends To Press WiMAX Patents

Communications equipment vendor Wi-LAN, Inc. said Thursday that it intends to enforce patents it recently acquired that it claimed covers virtually all 802.16, or WiMAX wireless broadband hardware.

The company previously sued Cisco Systems, claiming that the company's Linksys and Aironet wireless LAN product lines also violated Wi-LAN patents. Thursday, the company notified the IEEE Standards Association that it plans to enforce patents it recently acquired from Ensemble Communications that it claims related to WiMAX.

"Wi-LAN believes the infringement of these patents is unavoidable in any implementation of the IEEE 802.16 WirelessMAN Standard," the company said in a statement. Before it was dubbed WiMAX by the WiMAX Forum trade organization, the IEEE referred to the standard as the "Wireless MAN" standard.

In a statement, the company said that its contends that the "patents are relevant to all implementations." It said it is willing to provide licenses to an unlimited number of applicants "on reasonable terms and conditions."

Prior to suing Cisco, Wi-LAN also sued a number of other vendors for patent infringement. It now claims a number of companies, including Philips Semiconductor, Fujitsu Microelectronics and WiMAX equipment vendor Redline Communications as licencees.Redline said when it settled its suit that it still did not believe it had infringed on Wi-LAN's patents but that it was easier and cheaper to pay the company than to continue litigation.