Microsoft Receives Ruling in its Favor

Microsoft has finally managed to get a lawsuit dismissed which was claiming that Microsoft’s alternate reality (AR) device that is known as HoloLens had infringed on several patents related to 3D imaging. The lawsuit was brought up by tech R&D house D3D Technologies in the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

HoloLens is an experimental mixed-reality configured with a head-mounted display targeted towards AR developers. It was released in the market of gizmos in the year 2016. Its follow-up product was also launched after the success of HoloLens which was given a name: HoloLens 2. HoloLens 2 was revealed at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in the year 2019.

However, the court ordered them to dismiss the case. Judge Paul Byron observed, “D3D and its counsel failed to prove that Microsoft was knowledgeable about its indirect infringement of the patents-in-suit. D3D failed to articulate how Microsoft was willfully blind to its indirect infringement.”

However, this is not the end of the case proceedings. The judge ruled that D3D is free to further pursue in the Court of Federal Claims and also gave D3D another option to file a second amended complaint which means this case can take another shape.

The Orlando-based D3D Technologies initially chose to file the lawsuit against Microsoft in the month of September last year where they were claiming that the company had deliberately infringed four of its ‘three-dimensional viewing’ patents which were issued by the USPTO between the years 2013 and 2018.

The alleged patents-in-suit were as follows:

·        US number 8,384,771;

·        US number 9,349,183;

·        US number 9,473,766 and

·        US number 9,980,691.

Those patents involved 3D image processing techniques and the patents were undoubtedly particularly very useful for viewing via augmented, virtual or mixed reality head display units, according to the complaint.

D3D further argued that this technology was not having limited applications but across numerous disciplines which include medical, military, and gaming applications as well.

D3D’s chief technology officer Robert Douglas further made claims, “Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President of Research and Incubation, Peter Lee is well aware of D3D’s patented technology through multiple Army Science Board meetings that they both attended.”

The company also had reportedly provided Microsoft with two additional opportunities to hold some meaningful discussions to collaborate together on the technology of HoloLens and but the company received no response on it.

Upon filing the complaint Buddy Beck, CEO of D3D said: “Innovation is the very heart of D3D and its patents are its lifeblood. The company’s mission is to improve the state of 3D imaging for the welfare of everyone; however, we will not allow others to unfairly reap the benefits of our hard work and innovation