Archive Corp’s suit against Cipher Data Products Inc – answered with a patent infringement countersuit (CI No 934), seeks declaratory relief, alleging breach of contract, unfair competition and misappropriation of trade secrets in connection with a technology licence agreement signed between the two companies in 1981: Archive says that under the licence Cipher received patented and proprietary technology to make and sell quertreh cartridge tape drives, and has not lived up to the spirit or letter of that agreement – it continues to manufacture quarter-inch tape drives under this agreement and we feel we must aggressively protect our valuable rights, says Archive, which wants the court to say that two patents held by Cipher relating to features of a 5.25 form factor tape drive are invalid.
