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Vivint Says It Will 'Vigorously Defend' Against ADT's Patent Infringement Claims

Vivint intends to “vigorously defend” against ADT allegations that its SkyControl panel and Smart Hub violate patents 8,976,937 and 9,286,772 belonging to ADT, it said Wednesday, after ADT filed a complaint (in Pacer) in the U.S. District Court for the…

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Western District of Texas Tuesday. ADT also filed a companion case with the International Trade Commission. “Vivint launched its SkyControl Panel and related products with the express desire, in the words of its former CEO, to ‘control anything and everything inside the home,’” said ADT Chief Legal Officer David Smail in a statement: “Apparently Vivint also meant ‘by any means necessary.’” Vivint infringes ADT patents covering predictive analytics, detection and diagnostics, and advanced user interfaces including voice control, Smail said, “to gain an unfair advantage in the smart home security and automation market.” By defending its patents, “ADT is determined to protect its employees, its customers, its products, and its reputation,” he said. ADT asked the ITC for an exclusion order prohibiting Vivint from importing products that allegedly infringe on its patents, and asked the court for a finding of infringement plus damages, fees and other relief. Vivint believes the claims asserted are “completely without merit and that the complaint is a reactionary countersuit” to a patent infringement complaint Vivint filed in February against ADT in the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah asserting ADT infringed six Vivint patents. That case is ongoing.