BarPoint Files Patent Infringement Suit Against PriceGrabber; Announces Notice of Allowance On Additional Patent.Business Editors FORT LAUDERDALE Fort Lauderdale (lô`dərdāl), residential, commercial, and resort city (1990 pop. 149,377), seat of Broward co., SE Fla., on the Atlantic coast; settled around a fort built (c.1837) in the Seminole War, inc. 1911. , Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 24, 2003 BarPoint.com, Inc. (Nasdaq:BPNT), an online and wireless product information and shopping service technology provider, today announced that it has filed a patent infringement patent infringement n. the manufacture and/or use of an invention or improvement for which someone else owns a patent issued by the government, without obtaining permission of the owner of the patent by contract, license or waiver. suit against PriceGrabber.com LLC (Logical Link Control) See "LANs" under data link protocol. LLC - Logical Link Control , and one of its affiliates, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida The United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida (S.D.Fl.) is the federal district court covering the southern part of the state of Florida. The court's jurisdiction comprises the following counties: Broward, Dade, Highlands, Indian River, Martin, Monroe, . In addition, the company announced that it has received notice from the United States Patent and Trademark Office The United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO or USPTO) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that provides patent protection to inventors and businesses for their inventions, and trademark registration for product and intellectual property that it intends to award BarPoint an additional related patent. The infringement suit is directed at PriceGrabber websites: http://www.pricegrabber.com, http://www.preciomania.com, http://www.precomania.com, and the wireless implementation of these sites marketed as "PriceGrabber Wireless." Some or all of the underlying technology is also being provided by PriceGrabber to other operators of well-known e-commerce sites. The operators of these other e-commerce sites have not at this point been named as defendants in the action. BarPoint has requested damages and injunctive relief injunctive relief n. a court-ordered act or prohibition against an act or condition which has been requested, and sometimes granted, in a petition to the court for an injunction. , including enhanced damages due to PriceGrabber's willful infringement. BarPoint alleges, among other things, that the PriceGrabber sites infringe upon its patent, U.S. Patent No. 6,430,554 "Interactive System for Investigating Products on a Network", issued on August 6, 2002. In general, the patent covers technology relating to relating to relate prep → concernant relating to relate prep → bezüglich +gen, mit Bezug auf +acc the utilization of unique identifiers such as UPC (Universal Product Code) The standard bar code printed on retail merchandise, which is administered by GS1 US, Brussels, Belgium and Lawrenceville, NJ (www.gs1.org). numbers, barcodes, manufacturers' codes and other coded input to gather and return product-related information. The patent protects both wired and wireless applications of this "reverse-search" technology. "BarPoint is an innovator in the area of using unique identifiers such as UPC numbers, barcodes, manufacturers' codes and other coded input to gather and return product-related information," said Jeffrey W. Sass, CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. of BarPoint. "While we are pleased to see the implementation of this technology in the marketplace, it is imperative that our intellectual property rights are respected and that parties obtain appropriate licenses to our technology prior to its use." In November 2002, BarPoint sued Washington-based media hardware and software firm Fullplay Media Systems (OTC OTC See: Over-the-counter. OTC See over-the-counter market (OTC). :FPLYQ.PK) for infringement of U.S. Patent No. 6,430,554. Shortly thereafter, in March 2003 BarPoint announced that Fullplay had entered into a license agreement concerning the patent. BarPoint also announced today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has notified the company that it intends to award the company an additional related patent. This additional patent is a continuation of the '554 patent and, among other things, extends and expands on the scope of the wireless claims contained in the '554 patent. BarPoint also has other domestic and international patent applications pending. BarPoint.com, Inc. has created an online and wireless product information and commerce platform and is a pioneer in the use of unique product identifiers, such as the UPC barcode number, and patented "reverse-search" technology to simplify the process of finding meaningful product information, anytime, anywhere. BarPoint.com is located at: 800 Corporate Drive, Suite 600, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33334. For information, contact BarPoint.com at: 954/492-4003 or via the web: http://www.barpoint.com. BarPoint.com's common stock is traded on NASDAQ under the symbol BPNT. This press release contains forward-looking statements forward-looking statement A projected financial statement based on management expectations. A forward-looking statement involves risks with regard to the accuracy of assumptions underlying the projections. within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA) implemented several significant substantive changes affecting certain cases brought under the federal securities laws, including changes related to pleading, discovery, liability, class representation and awards fees and of 1995, regarding the Company's business strategy and future plans of operations. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, both general and specific to the matters discussed in this press release. These and other important factors, including the Company's ability to find acceptable strategic opportunities, sell certain or all of its principal operating assets Operating Assets Another term for working capital. , prosecute and defend its patent, attract new customers, maintain the Company's relationships with strategic partners and acquire new strategic partners, the Company's ability to raise additional capital and other factors mentioned in various Securities and Exchange Commission filings made periodically by the Company, may cause the Company's actual results and performance to differ materially from the future results and performance expressed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof and the Company expressly disclaims any obligation to provide public updates, revisions or amendments to any forward-looking statements made herein to reflect changes in the Company's expectations or future events. BarPoint, BarPoint.com and My BarPoint are trademarks or registered trademarks of BarPoint.com, Inc. |
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