LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Global visual technology company RealD Inc. announced today the filing of a complaint with the District Court (Landgericht) in Düsseldorf, alleging that Volfoni SAS, Volfoni GmbH and CinemaNext Deutschland Gmbh have infringed three of RealD’s European patents by the importation, sale, or offer for sale of the Volfoni SmartCrystal Diamond cinema systems in Germany. In the complaint, RealD requests an injunction banning the sale of the infringing devices and seeks financial damages.
The asserted patents cover RealD’s light-doubling 3D cinema system technology used in its XL product line. “RealD maintains an extensive patent portfolio covering its 3D cinema systems in numerous international markets, including the United States, Europe, China, Japan, S. Korea, Australia, Brazil, Canada, India, Mexico and Russia, and intends to continue vigorously enforcing its intellectual property rights against infringement of its patented inventions,” said Neil Mothew, Vice President of Intellectual Property & Legal Affairs at RealD.
This is the second patent enforcement action that RealD has taken against Volfoni. In March 2014, RealD filed suit against Volfoni in the United States for patent infringement. RealD dismissed that U.S. patent lawsuit without prejudice only after Volfoni made specific representations and warranties that it had not sold or distributed the SmartCrystal Diamond product in the U.S. In the event that Volfoni’s representations were false or Volfoni sold the SmartCrystal Diamond product or any modified version in the United States, RealD reserved the right to continue the US-based lawsuit against Volfoni.
RealD has been extremely successful in its patent enforcement actions. In July 2016, RealD was awarded a Final Decision from the US International Trade Commission that their asserted patents were both valid and infringed by MasterImage, a company that is no longer in business. That decision ordered a ban against importation into the United States of MasterImage’s infringing products.
“RealD’s innovation, research & development efforts, and our resulting products have been instrumental in creating the industry’s brightest, premium 3D visual experience for our partners and moviegoers around the world,” said Jeff Spain, Chief Financial Officer at RealD. The patented light-doubling XL Cinema System delivers the most light efficiency of any other 3D cinema projection technology, and as a result, it provides a superior projected 3D image at a lower operating cost.
The world’s most widely used 3D cinema technology, RealD 3D is installed in approximately 30,000 auditoriums in 75 countries around the world.
About RealD Inc.
RealD is a leading global licensor of 3D and other visual technologies. RealD's extensive industry-defining intellectual property portfolio is used in applications and products that enable a premium viewing experience in the theater, the home and elsewhere. RealD’s core business is the licensing of RealD Cinema Systems and the product sale of RealD eyewear to motion picture exhibitors to enable a premium viewing experience for 3D motion pictures and alternative 3D content in the theater.
RealD was founded in 2003 and has offices in Beverly Hills, California; Boulder, Colorado; London, United Kingdom; Moscow, Russia; Shanghai, China; Beijing, China; Hong Kong; and Tokyo, Japan. For more information, please visit our website at www.reald.com.
