QuadTech ends lawsuit with Print2Finish

However, the release also stated that QuadTech will continue its litigation against QI Press Controls (QIPC) over the mRC and IDS products. “QuadTech has taken the position that the mRC system either infringes the ‘577 patent when used in markless registration mode, or that QIPC has been misleading the market by claiming it has a markless registration system. QuadTech has decided it will now focus on the latter,” stated the release.

Karl Fritchen, president of QuadTech comments: “In this court case we have learned that QIPC has not sold a single markless register control system anywhere in the world. As a result, to expedite the litigation, we have informed the court that we will not pursue our patent infringement claim against the mRC product, but intend to continue with our deceptive advertising claim because QIPC has been unable or unwilling to show that it ever had any commercially viable markless registration control system. We intend to prevent QIPC from deceiving the marketplace.”

QuadTech also has separate pending patent infringement actions against QIPC’s colour control product, the Intelligent Density Control system or IDS. The infringed patents relate to positioning the camera over an area of interest and a method for generating a profile of a printing press. QuadTech continues to pursue these claims against QIPC and its IDS product.

When PrintWeek India wrote to QI Press Controls, they responded as follows: “QI Press Controls is pleased that Quad/Tech has publicly announced in a press release that it will no longer pursue its patent infringement claim against QI in the case titled Quad/Tech versus QI Press Controls. QuadTech first filed its infringement case in 2009. From the beginning, Quad/Tech claimed that the mRC registration control product QI sold in the United States infringed a Quad/Tech patent.

From the beginning, QI has vigorously defended itself in court and maintained that Quad/Tech's claims have no merit. QI won the first round in the patent infringement case in the Court's written opinion of 1 April, 2010, which was upheld on appeal.” (The Court’s opinion can be found at 701 F. Supp. 2d 644).

A query about QuadTech's announcement that it will no longer pursue this claim is, "therefore, a step in the right direction. Quad/Tech made its announcement while QI's and Print2Finish's Motion for Summary Judgment is pending. That Motion, which QI and Print2Finish filed in May, seeks to dismiss all of Quad/Tech's claims, including the patent infringement claim Quad/Tech has now decided not to pursue. QI is hopeful that the Court will grant the Motion in its entirety and dismiss all of Quad/Tech's claims sometime in the near future,” the mail stated from the corporate communication department of QI Press Controls.