Motorola among companies sued in iPad Bluetooth patent case

Wi-Lan Inc., the Ottawa-based owner of patents for wireless technology, sued Apple Inc., the maker of the iPad tablet, and 18 other computer and phone makers, including Schaumburg-based Motorola, claiming they're infringing its Bluetooth patents.

The suit, filed in federal court in Marshall, Texas, April 7, seeks unspecified damages for the alleged patent infringement and an order to stop the companies from using the technology.

At issue is patent 5,515,369, which was issued in May 1996.

Bluetooth is used to transmit data and voice between devices like computers and phones without wires.

Dallas-based McKool Smith PC represents Wi-Lan.

Kristin Huguet, a spokeswoman at Cupertino, California- based Apple, didn't immediately respond to an e-mailed request for comment.

Other defendants include Motorola Inc. and Dell Inc. Jennifer Erickson, a spokeswoman at Motorola and David Frink, a spokesman for Round Rock, Texas- based, said their companies don't comment on pending litigation.

The case is Wi-Lan Inc. v. Acer Inc., 2:10-cv-124, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas (Marshall).

This is the second patent-infringement suit Wi-Lan filed in the past 10 days. On April 1, the company sued Calix Inc. of Petaluma, California, for infringing two patents.

Calix, a maker of digital subscriber line (DSL) products, is accused of infringing Wi-Lan's 5,956,323 and 6,763,019 patents, which were issued in December 1999 and July 2004 respectively.

That case was also filed in Texas federal court, also by lawyers from McKool Smith.

That case is Wi-Lan Inc., v. Calix Inc., 2:10-cv-00117, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Texas