Vermont Attorney General William HSorrell is preparing to continue the State’s battle with alleged patent troll MPHJ Technology Investments, LLC, as the federal district courtturned awayMPHJ’s latest effort to avoid Vermont courts. MPHJ had sought, for a second time, to move Vermont’s enforcement action to federal court. Echoing his earlier ruling in 2014, Judge William KSessions III held that MPHJ’s second removal effort was “untimely” and ordered that the “case must again be remanded to state court.” Attorney General Sorrell observed that MPHJ’s litigation tactics have not deterred him from pushing forward with this important consumer-protection litigation. “MPHJ has repeatedly delayed this case with unwarranted procedural maneuvers, but we are ready to move forward now in state court to prove our case and ask the court to sanction MPHJ’s conduct,” he said.
In May 2013, Attorney General William Sorrell brought this consumer-protection action in state court against MPHJ, which claimed to have a patent on the process of scanning documents and attaching them to email via a network. The Attorney General alleges that MPHJ sent unfair and deceptive demand letters to small businesses and non-profits throughout Vermont. The letters threatened lawsuits unless recipients promptly agreed to pay licensing fees for alleged patent infringement relating to scanning and emailing documents.
Vermont AG: Jan 12, 2015