Tellabs sues Fujitsu for patent infringement

Naperville-based Tellabs Inc. said Thursday that a Japanese company has "hijacked" its patented technology that delivers high-speed services using fiber optics to homes and businesses.

Tellabs filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Fujitsu Ltd. and Fujitsu Network Communications Inc., in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Tellabs seeks both unspecified monetary damages and to stop the company from using the technology in the future, according to the complaint filed Wednesday.

"This is the technology in the Tellabs 7100, and sales for this has grown four times this year, compared to last year already," said Tellabs spokesman George Stenitzer. "This is really a hot product."

A Fujitsu spokesman was unavailable for comment.

The Tellabs 7100 is used by cable and telephone companies, including Verizon, one of its largest customers.

Fiber optics have been enhanced over the years since they provided just one stream of communications through a white beam of light the size of a human hair. Tellabs said it began working on this technology to increase the fiber optic communication avenues from one to 44, starting in 1997.

In the following two years, Tellabs also acquired similar technology from IBM and Alcatel, Stenitzer said.

While Tellabs applied for the patent several years ago, it was finally granted last month, he said.

"Fujitsu hijacked our intellectual property," Stenitzer said. "We need to protect our investment."

Various Fujitsu products are subject to the lawsuit, including reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexing (ROADM) systems and components that Fujitsu markets within its Flashwave product line.