Motorola Sued for Baby Monitor Patent Infringement


Motorola Mobility LLC is facing a patent infringement lawsuit over its alleged appropriation of a baby monitoring system. Plaintiff Script Transform LLC alleged yesterday that Motorola’s MBP36XL and other video baby monitors infringed upon its patented invention that includes a power-saving mode and a viewing screen. Judge Elaine E. Bucklo presides over this case in the Northern District of Illinois. Script Transform is represented by Devlin Law Firm.

The patent-in-suit is U.S. Patent No. 9,191,629 (the ’629 patent). Titled “Baby monitoring system including video enhancement capability operable at various frequencies,” the invention includes separate units typically comprising of “a transmitter with a camera feature which captures motion,” and “an infrared light source and a sound capture source,” which is a “receiver unit with a display screen.”

According to the attached chart, some of Motorola’s baby monitors are accused of using the same video monitoring technology as claimed by the patent. The MBP36XL and similar models include display screens that can be turned off remotely to save battery power. With a transmitter, a user can command the remote-operable monitors to tilt, pan, and engage infrared night vision. The display screen unit also provides video and audio send from a monitor. Script Transform notes that Motorola’s allegedly infringing baby monitor products “have been available at least since 2011,” according to the product documentation.

Though known colloquially as Motorola, Motorola Mobility is an electronics and telecommunications company related to its subsidiary, Motorola Solutions, which handles “enterprise-oriented product lines.” As a result of the company’s alleged patent appropriations, Script Transform seeks an award of damages for “past infringement of the ’629 patent, and any continuing or future infringement through the date such judgment is entered.”