Wi-LAN, 01 Communique celebrate first Gladios IP settlement

Joel Bomgar, who founded Bomgar Corp in 2002. Ottawa's Wi-LAN today announced that its Gladios IP division had reached a patent license agreement between Bomgar and Gladios client 01 Communique.

The TSX was in the red again today, but Ottawa patent king Wi-LAN (TSX:WIN) gave client 01 Communique (TSX:ONE) a reason to buck the trend.

This morning, the pair issued a joint press release stating that the companies have entered into a settlement and patent licence agreement with Bomgar Corp., which settles all litigation among the parties and provides Bomgar with a licence to several of 01 Communique’s U.S. patents.

01 Communique CEO Andrew Cheung said: “This settlement and patent licence agreement represents an important milestone for our business,” adding. “We believe our technology is fundamental and groundbreaking and hope that other companies competing against us will now respect our intellectual property. We are very pleased with the results that were achieved by working closely with Wi-LAN’s Gladios division, which is a testimony to the professionalism and quality of their team. We look forward to continued success and to working closely with the Gladios team on additional programs.”

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This story is brought to you by Zecotek Photonics (TSXV:ZMS). As of November 16, 2011, Zecotek owned title to or controlled more than 55 patents and applications. Click here to learn more.

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The lawsuit against Bomgar was the first for Wi-LAN division Gladios IP, which was created to work with other companies to try and unlock the value of their patents. Gladios has already signed more than half a dozen partners and is in discussion with dozens more.

Misssissipi-based Bomgar Corp was founded in 2002 by Joel Bomgar, a field network engineer for a Jackson, Mississippi-based systems integrator. Bomgar said he developed the first version of his remote support software to ease the burden of transportation time, which was non-billable. The company has since signed more than six-thousand clients.

Mississagua’s 01 Communique, meanwhile, has been around since 1992, when it released a a fax program called 01 Fax. 01 began developing remote access software in the late 1990′s, and filed for patents related to this technologies in 2000. 01 Communique was subsequently granted two patents in August, 2005.

Wi-LAN, of course is no stranger to patent infringement claims, having launched actions against dozens of multinationals, including Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Sony and Toshiba.

Shares of Wi-LAN on the TSX closed today down 1.2% to $5.08, while 01 Communique was up 10.6% to $.94 cents.

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