RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA — Valencell, a wearable and hearable biometric sensor technology company, announced this week that it is filing a patent infringement lawsuit against German hearable startup, Bragi. The company accuses Bragi and its subsidiaries of patent infringement over the Bragi Dash.
The lawsuit comes nearly one year following patent infrignment suits filed by Valencell against Apple and Fitbit.
Valencell Technology
A North Carolina-based tech company, Valencell develops and licenses its biometric sensor technology for some of the best known companies in the world, including Samsung and LG Electronics.
Jabra’s latest hearable, the Elite Sport, for example, uses Valencell developed sensors to monitor a user’s heart rate and other vitals.
Company Seeks Damages
According to the suit, Valencell alleges Bragi had multiple discussions with the company over the years, but a deal was never reached. Despite a deal not being finalized, Bragi began to ship its Dash devices out to customers anyway.
Valencell accuses Bragi of knowingly infringing on four of its patents by selling wearable devices that incorporate heart rate sensors. The company is asking for damages and that Bragi be required to pay an ongoing licensing fee if a permanent injunction isn’t granted by the court.
“The value of accuracy cannot be mistaken. Many companies realized that value from the beginning. Some companies didn’t, and now come back to us … and other companies, for whatever reason, have decided not to work with us.”
—Steven LeBoeuf, Valencell Co-Founder and President
According to a company spokesman, Bragi has no comment on the suit.
Source: Triangle Business Journal
