Acacia -ACTG- Adds New Defendants to Patent Litigation and Seeks Class Action Status
 

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 18, 2003--Acacia Research Corporation (Nasdaq:ACTG) (Nasdaq:CBMX) announced today that it has added 8 new adult entertainment defendants to its patent infringement litigation, now pending in the District Court for the Central District of California. Acacia originally sued 39 adult entertainment companies, and prior to adding the new defendants, had only 11 defendants remaining in the litigation.

The new Complaints, filed with the Court, seek to create a defendant class for all adult entertainment companies that infringe Acacia's DMT patents by transmitting pre-recorded, digital audio and audio/video adult content via any electronic communication channel into or from the Central District of California, or that operate at least one interactive website where a user located in Central District of California can exchange information with a host computer. Defendant class action status, which must be approved by the Court, would permit the Court's rulings on certain key issues to legally bind all members of the class, whether or not they have been specifically named as defendants in the litigation. This would result in a much more efficient use of Acacia's resources, eliminating the need for certain duplicative litigation.

Acacia has entered into 106 license agreements for its DMT technology with companies in the hotel in-room entertainment, and online music, movie and adult entertainment industries.

Acacia's DMT technology, which is covered by pioneering patents, relates to audio and video transmission and receiving systems, commonly known as audio-on-demand, video-on-demand, and audio/video streaming, and is used for distributing digital content via several means including Internet, cable television, satellite and wireless systems.

http://home.businesswire.com/portal/... 0&newsLang=en

I guess we need to start paying Al Gore royalties as well... after all, didn't he invent the internet?

According to him he did.... :1orglaugh

Working on finding the 8 adult company names..stay tuned..


Fight The Delay!

Quick question. If they are allowed to do a class action suit and they win, they won't have to file additional suits because it would cover everyone. Does that also mean if they lose that one "case" then they could not sue anyone else?

This is a pathetic last resort. They are out of cash, the one last hail mary to get some profit out of this.

holy cow .... thats a big change!!!

jennyM - it would sure take with wind out of their sails and give them less fodder to fight with

didn't we already laugh our guts out at this announcement and how their stock just crashed?



acacia must be really desprite these days

It remains to be seen whether the judge will allow the plantiff to file the class action lawsuit against "adult industry" companies.. i am sure the current defendants will be raising "due process" objections.

Acacia is pulling every legal trick in the book with actions like this.. it's not an uncommon tactic, as told to me by an attorney, so nothing to read into about these actions.

If (WHEN!!) either the defendants or this class action deal defeated the patent claims, then the patent is found null and void.. so all companies would be free of this DMT patent.


Fight the Suits!

no. my typical conservative know-nothing, he didn't. BUT he was it's earliest congressional supporter and fought hard for it's funding in the early stages. Which is what he actually said. Which you have no way of knowing since you only listen to 'unbiased' figures like Rush 'Junkie' Limbaugh.

Isn't it amazing how one comment made by someone caliming it to be true can quickly turn into a "truth" excepted by so many?!

I wonder how much of the history we studied in school was completey innaccurate because someone said something they made up or misconstrued and it happened to be the thing that stuck...

It's been three hours, who are the other 8? :)

page (has citations and links on what Al said) that talks about Al Gore and the internet:


http://www.sethf.com/gore/



Fight the Link Challenged!

It seems as though the information has not been updated yet on the court databases (website). Probably tomorrow we'll see it.


Fight the Impatience!

http://xbiz.com/articles/index.php?article_idp=938

Just in from xbiz, companies named...

I've put my SELL recommendation on ACTG (Acacia Technologies Group). Maybe others should too. If ACTG share price falls, maybe people will start jumping ship before it sinks.

http://messages.yahoo.com/bbs?action...7080497&type=r

I only see two companies named, not 8.

I don't see how they can legally demand that some random company represent all other companies in a court case, as they now appear to be trying to do.

Why would Python be allowed to represent all paysites or all plugin providers, for example? What if Python's lawyers fuck up? What if Max Cash's lawyers are better. What if each defendant wants their day in court with their own lawyers defending them?

It seems like the judge should slap Acacia down for trying to make one company represent all companies, or whatever they are trying to do.

Each company deserves their day in court if they want it.

I would bet that actg is actually going to go up, they are not giving up, and people will be settling rather than fighting. Also some of the bigger mainstream companies will also settle rather than fight. ?? just my 2 cents:2 cents:

Yeah, the details in the article were a little short on explaination... I'm sure all of it will come out soon!

Some GFY members seem to be hoping so - probably the ones who bought Acacia shares at $8. :1orglaugh

What rat bastards :BangBang:

Anyone find out who the 8 new companies being sued are yet?

:thumbsup