BT, Assia reach settlement on DSL technology patent dispute

BT (NYSE: BT) and ASSIA, a provider of software solutions that enable telcos to increase the rate and reach of broadband services they deliver over their existing copper networks, have agreed to settle their long-running patent dispute that began in 2011.

Under the terms of the agreement, the two companies will cross-license parts of their patent portfolios.

ASSIA and BT have also stipulated the dismissal of all pending matters in the UK High Court and associated appeals, termination of several proceedings in the European Patent Office and dismissal of patent infringement litigation brought by BT against ASSIA in the U.S.

In 2013, London's High Court of Justice ruled that BT infringed on one of two DSL management technology patents held by ASSIA. At that time, the court ruled that BT had been using ASSIA's DSL management technology in its Next Generation Access (NGA) network, which provides VDSL-based service speeds of up to 40 Mbps in a fiber=to-the-cabinet (FTTC) configuration.

Both companies have a large patent portfolios that address various DSL-related technologies.

ASSIA currently holds over 250 issued patents and another 250 applications in process related to broadband optimization, including Dynamic Spectrum Management (DSM) Levels 1 and 2, vectoring (DSM Level 3), phantom mode DSL, DSL bonding and other complementary technologies.

Likewise, BT has a portfolio of more than 4,500 patents and applications around the world in a variety of technologies that also include Dynamic Spectrum Management (DSM) and related technologies.

DSL patent disputes between vendors and service providers are nothing new in the telecom industry. Three of the largest U.S.-based telcos, AT&T (NYSE: T), CenturyLink (NYSE: CTL) and Windstream (Nasdaq: WIN), are being sued by Intellectual Ventures, a patent holding company, over violating various DSL patents.

For more:
- see the release

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