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Technology Stocks : XYBR - Xybernaut -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Scott C. Lemon who wrote (3910)	4/12/2000 3:17:00 PM
From: Wolff	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 6847

XYBR patent attorney Jenkins said that while the patents will not save Xybernaut from competition in the long run, they have given the company a jump on competitors and time to learn about the potential market for wearables. ========== So far, a number of companies have challenged this patent, said Xybernaut chief technology officer Michael Jenkins, but have not been successful in getting it thrown out. Still, he admits that fighting off potential competitors would be costly and said the company is more likely to act early in aligning itself with potential competitors rather than waiting to fight them in court. The company does derive some revenue through licensing agreements. One such license was sold to Teltronics Inc. of Sarasota, Fla., which manufactures remote maintenance products. When it began developing wearable products, Xybernaut sued. The companies settled, but Teltronics maintains the settlement was one of convenience on its part, not an admission of patent infringement. "It was easier to settle," Teltronics president Ewen Cameron said. "It would have cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars" to fight the lawsuit. Cameron said he'll leave it to the large corporations to fight Xybernaut's patents, some of which he thinks are too broad. "It's a bit like trying to patent a laptop computer," he said. Jenkins said that while the patents will not save Xybernaut from competition in the long run, they have given the company a jump on competitors and time to learn about the potential market for wearables. Newman and Moynahan agree, although they still are a bit fuzzy on how they will pitch their concept on a wider scale. So far, "we don't know what it's going to do," said Moynahan, repeating a phrase Newman has often uttered. "But we know it's going to be big."