Last Friday, Estech Systems IP, LLC filed a complaint in the Eastern District of Texas against Abbott Laboratories for alleged patent infringement of four systems that Estech developed to improve voicemail and phone communications.
According to the complaint, one of Estech’s premier products is the Voice over IP (VoIP) system that allows “lower cost and more efficient network management” compared to traditional phone systems and “enable[s] integration of additional communication services.” All four of the patents in question are innovations that integrate with the VoIP system.
First, Estech claimed that Abbott infringed upon the ‘298 patent by “making, having made, using, importing, providing, supplying, distributing, selling, or offering for sale products and/or systems” that incorporate VoIP technology, an act they consider this direct infringement. They also alleged that Abbott encouraged use of their fraudulent system to their clients, further damaging Estech. The ‘684 patent “describes information handling systems used to transmit voice using VoIP technology” that throttles data to increase the rate of audio data transmission. The plaintiffs claimed that Abbott’s products use a similar technology.
The complaint continued by describing the final two patents allegedly infringed upon by the defendants. The ‘699 patent describes a voice mail system for a VoIP system, which Abbott’s alleged system copies, and the ‘349 patent is complementary in that it allows the recipient of a voicemail to “automatically call back the caller while listening to the voicemail message.”
Estech is seeking a judgment that Abbott infringed upon Estech’s patents, a permanent injunction enjoining the defendants from further infringement of their patents, damages, treble damages, pre- and post-judgment interest, attorney’s fees and costs, and other relief.
Estech Systems is represented by Williams Simons & Landis PLLC.
