ClearOne gets an injunction, Shure vows to fight on
On Thursday it was announced by ClearOne the latest development in their ongoing lawsuit with Shure. Judge Edmond E. Chang of the U.S. District court ruled that ClearOne faced “irreparable harm” and the “public interest” would suffer should Shure be allowed to continue to sell their MXA910 ceiling microphone. Below are the statements from both companies.
From Shure:
We are disappointed and disagree with the Court’s decision, which is not a final determination on this matter and we intend to immediately appeal. We continue to believe that the ‘806 patent is invalid and that we do not infringe on the ‘806 patent and we look forward to presenting the merits of our case to a jury. This injunction does not impact any existing products currently installed. Shure is committed to ensuring best-in-class MXA910 products remain available to its customers and is prepared to modify and supply the product in a way that is compliant with the Court’s order, as needed.
From ClearOne:
ClearOne (NASDAQ: CLRO) today welcomed the decision by the U.S. District Court in the
Northern District of Illinoisgranting ClearOne’s request for a preliminary injunction preventing Shure Incorporated from manufacturing, marketing, and selling the Shure MXA910 Ceiling Array Microphone for use in its “drop-ceiling mounting configuration.” The Court determined that such sales are likely to infringe ClearOne’s U.S. Patent No. 9,813,806 (the “Graham Patent”). The Graham Patent, entitled “Integrated beamforming microphone array and ceiling or wall tile,” covers, among other things, a beamforming microphone array integrated into a ceiling tile as a single unit. ClearOne’s beamforming microphone array ceiling tile incorporating the innovative technology of the Graham Patent, the BMA CT, debuted earlier this year and is now shipping.
ClearOne remains confident in the merits of its case against Shure and that it will ultimately succeed on its claims, which assert infringement not only of the Graham Patent but of U.S. Patent No. 9,635,186 and U.S. Patent No. 9,264,553 (the “’553 Patent”) as well. Indeed, as ClearOneannounced earlier this year, on January 24, 2019, ClearOne successfully defeated Shure’s efforts to invalidate the ’553 Patent at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. The litigation continues to move forward in federal court in the Northern District of Illinois, and no trial date has yet been set.
