The group, which has the working title The Coalition for Patent Fairness, has not yet formally launched, but would focus on reforming patent litigation practices rather than patent filing.
I can confirm that Coalition is in the formation and that it will focus on litigation abuse in the patent arena, with special attention to remedies, damages, and getting cases before courts with technological expertise, said an Intel spokesperson via e-mail.
Santa Clara, California-based Intel would not disclose other members of the fledgling coalition, but Cisco Systems and Hewlett-Packard are reportedly also on board. Cisco and HP did not return calls seeking comment.
The coalition is being formed against a backdrop of recent high-profile technology patent disputes. Notably, Research in Motion Ltd was sued by patent house NTP, which alleged RIM’s BlackBerry device infringed on NTP patents. NTP sought to shut down the BlackBerry service in the US, which prompted an outcry from enterprises and government users of the device.
After a drawn-out battle in the courts, RIM settled with NTP for $612.m but admitted no wrongdoing. Earlier in May, less than two months after settling with NTP, RIM again faced a threat of a BlackBerry shutdown in the US – this time from rival Visto Corp, which also alleged the BlackBerry infringes on its patents.
