Pitney Bowes and Stamps.com Settle Patent Lawsuits
Mail metering company Pitney Bowes and Web postage service Stamps.com said they have settled four years of litigation over technology patents for buying and printing postage via the Internet.
The companies said the settlement includes a five-year patent cross-licensing agreement. Pitney’s patent licenses may be used in all metering applications, and Stamps.com’s patent licenses may be used in “non-traditional” metering applications, such as Internet postage.
Other terms of the settlement were not disclosed. Pitney and Stamps.com said there will be “no material financial payment” between them. Executives for both companies said in prepared statements that they were “very pleased” with the settlement. Pitney is based in Stamford, Connecticut, and Stamps.com in Santa Monica, California.
Pitney, whose postal meters are a mainstay of many companies’ offices, sued the smaller Stamps.com in June 1999, claiming infringement of patents covering key processes for shipping and tracking packages and mail.
Stamps.com filed its own lawsuit against Pitney in June 2001, claiming infringement of patents held by Salim Kara, the founder of E-Stamp Corp., whose assets Stamps.com had bought.
