HP settles with CSIRO over Wi-Fi suit

The CSIRO has one less target in its ongoing litigation battle with the big guns of the ICT industry over its claims to patents on Wi-Fi technology.

The Australian Government funded research organisation has confirmed it has settled with HP for an undisclosed sum.

"CSIRO can confirm that a settlement has been reached with Hewlett-Packard Company (HP) in relation to the wireless patent case," said CSIRO spokesperson Huw Morgan, in a brief statement.

"There will be no further comment at this time due to confidentiality and on-going litigation."

The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation claims to have patented core elements of the technology used in 802.11a and 802.11g wireless devices.

The CSIRO's US patent for Wireless LAN technology (US Patent 5487069) was granted in January 1996.

In June 2007, the CSIRO won a case in the US Federal Court against Japanese manufacturer Buffalo Technologies, the basis of which the research organisation has used to demand royalties from a broader set of manufacturers that market Wi-Fi equipment.

In December of last year the same court lifted the injunction banning Buffalo from selling its Wi-Fi wares until the outcome of CSIRO's patent claims are finalised.

HP was among several major technology vendors - including Apple, Intel, Dell, Microsoft and Netgear that have brought cases against CSIRO in an attempt to have the research organisation's patent invalidated.

The CSIRO had filed patent infringement suits against 3Com, Accton, Asus, Belkin, D-Link, Fujitsu, Marvell (manufacturers of Apple's iPod), Nintendo, SMC and Toshiba.