OTI sues T-Mobile USA for NFC patent infringement
On Track Innovations (OTI), a leader in secure payment solutions, is suing T-Mobile USA for alleged patent infringement relating to its NFC technology.
U.S. Patent No. 6,045,043, filed in December 1997 and issues in April 2000, relates to a "contact/contactless data transaction card" that can enable wireless payments between a phone and a smart-card reader.
In a press release, the company said: "This patent is part of OTI’s extensive intellectual property portfolio, including over 100 issued patents and pending patent applications".
A lawsuit has been filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, in which the filing describes how one of OTI's patents was used without permission in T-Mobile USA's phones.
NFC technology is increasingly being used by mobile phone manufacturers, notably Samsung, and BlackBerry maker Research in Motion, to allow the near-proximity wireless payment of goods and services through existing devices like smartphones.
OTI provides technology MasterCard and Visa for their cards. T-Mobile USA, a division of Germany-based Deutsche Telekom, is the fourth largest network in the United States.
A T-Mobile spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.
Related: