Networking companies sued over network patent

A case started in a Delaware district court on the 4th of September, alleging many of the most important networking companies in the world breached an existing patent.

Network Gateway Solutions filed against Adtran, Audiocodes, Avaya, Cisco, Genband, Juniper, Alcatel-Lucent, Media5, Mediatrix Telecom, Metaswitch, Mitel, Multi-Tech Systems, Patton Electronics, Quintum Technologies, Siemens, Sonus and Zhone Technologies.

It’s alleged all of these companies breached US patent 5,912,888, called Digital Network Access Server, issued on 15 June 1999. The patent allows an apparatus and method for enabling bilateral transmission of digital data between a LAN and telephone company networks using both analog and digital lines.

All the defendants are alleged to have breached this patent in a number of different products they sell or market.

The patent holder wants damages against all the defendants for the alleged breach.