Peter T. Leach | May 17, 2011 2:29PM EDT
GT Nexus, an Internet-based portal for electronic cargo bookings, is suing e-commerce competitor INTTRA in a dispute over patents on different aspects of container booking system process.
The suit filed May 2 in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California alleges INTTRA offered GT Nexus a license to the e-commerce processes in the patents and “threatened increased risks if GT Nexus elected not to do so.”
“INTTRA has engaged in a longstanding effort to coerce GT Nexus into a business alliance,” GT Nexus alleged in the suit, and “will use its patents in an attempt to gain leverage against GT Nexus.”
GT Nexus said it believes the four INTTRA patents are invalid and “it does not need a license to the INTTRA patents.”
INTTRA said it will stand behind patents the company believes are central to its booking platform. “We believe the lawsuit has no merit,” said Eric Winston, general counsel for Inttra. “The patents were granted to it by the U.S. Patent office in compliance with applicable law and of course, we will defend Inttra’s legal rights.”
INTTRA said it “consistently invests in research and development to provide advanced products and services to meet the needs of our clients and the industry. The US Patent Office granted INTTRA a number of patents to protect these proprietary technologies and GT Nexus is challenging the validity of these patents. “
The Parsippany, N.J.-based company was issued three of the four patents last October and said in a statement at that time, “The INTTRA patent strategy will protect INTTRA's intellectual property while also encouraging industry-wide e-commerce adoption through various INTTRA partnerships and alliances.”
GT Nexus said in its suit it “believes that the danger that INTTRA will sue it alleging infringement of the INTTRA patents is real and imminent.”
GT Nexus asked the court to rule its products and services do not infringe on the INTTRA patents and asked the court to enjoin INTTRA from enforcing the patents against GT Nexus.
