The International Trade Commission has voted to bar the importation of Garmin SideVu sonars after finding they infringe on a patent owned by Johnson Outdoors Inc. and used in its popular Humminbird fishfinders.
The technology renders top-down radar scans into a 180-degree side-to-side perspective of the terrain underwater.
“Humminbird's pioneering, patented side scan sonar technology, marketed under its Side Imaging brand, is the gold standard in fishfinders,” said Helen Johnson-Leipold, Chairman and CEO of Johnson Outdoors. “We are recognized as an innovation leader…a company that respects the intellectual property of others and protects its own. Obviously, we're very pleased by this final determination by the ITC.”
While Garmin plans to appeal the ruling, company officials acknowledged they are modifying the first-generation of it SideVu products to address the ITC ruling.
“We do not expect the ruling to have any impact on Garmin customers or products,” said Andrew Etkind, Garmin vice president and general counsel. He noted that the brand is immediately shipping the second-generation of SideVu products and that the existing product can temporarily continue to be distributed pending a mandatory review by the U.S. trade representative. “The ruling will have no impact on Garmin products already purchased by our customers and dealers, or any products purchased going forward,” he said. “End-users and dealers will not notice a change to installation or compatibility with existing Garmin products or accessories. No action is necessary for dealers with existing inventory.”
Johnson Outdoor Vice President, Global Marketing Services and Communication Patricia Penman said the company “looks forward to see what changes Garmin has made.”
The ITC ruled that all three patents asserted by Johnson Outdoors are valid and enforceable and that Garmin infringed upon six claims within one of the them, Penman said.
–David Clucas
