Eagle Harbor sues Ford over Sync

Eagle Harbor Holdings and subsidiary MediusTech have brought a patent infringement suit against Ford, alleging that Ford products such as Active Park Assist, Blind-Spot Identification System with Cross Traffic Alert, Integrated Control System for Stability Control and MyKey fall within the scope of patent claims.

Jeff Wallace described a situation of licensing talks gone bad:

"Our representatives began meeting with Ford in 2002 to discuss and disclose our patented automotive systems technology and its applicability for use in Ford vehicles," said Jeffrey Harmes, general counsel for Eagle Harbor Holdings, LLC. "These meetings continued until 2008, when Ford stopped communications with us. In early 2009 we informed Ford that its automotive audio systems infringed on our patents. In March 2010, we again informed Ford that its automotive electronics systems, including Ford SYNC, infringed on our patents. Unfortunately, despite our many efforts to communicate with Ford and resolve these issues, Ford continues to refuse to license its use of our patented technology. Ford is ignoring our patent rights and continues to use, without permission or license, Eagle Harbor's technology."