Local wireless charging company WiTricity Corp. is joining MIT in filing a patent infringement lawsuit against a Pennsylvania-based company developing wireless charging systems.
Watertown-based WiTricity, Cambridge-based MIT and another plaintiff, Auckland UniServices Ltd., filed the complaint on Dec. 9 in Delaware against Momentum Dynamics Corp., a developer of wireless charging systems for cars and other means of transportation. Based in Malvern, Pa., Momentum Dynamics has approximately 60 employees.
The seven patents at the center of the federal suit are related to wireless energy transfer issued by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office between 2010 and 2017. WiTricity says it's the owner of five patents; in the other two, WiTricity is either the licensee or the exclusive licensee of patents owned by MIT or Auckland UniServices, which performs the technology transfer function for the University of Auckland.
The complaint claims that "Momentum Dynamics maintains a website ... that commercializes the accused technology by offering the technology for sale and development throughout the United States." The company has installed or proposed to install its wireless electric vehicle charging systems on various public bus networks, including on Martha’s Vineyard, according to the complaint.
WiTricity and the other plaintiffs, which are requesting a trial by jury, claim that Momentum Dynamics has been on notice of infringement of some of the patents-in-suit since 2015. The lawsuit seeks an injunction to halt the sales of Momentum Dynamics products that infringe such patents, and financial damages.
Michael McHale, chief communications officer of Momentum Dynamics, declined to comment on the case. MIT declined to comment, as well as Auckland UniServices, which directed questions to WiTricity.
Alex Gruzen, CEO of WiTricity, said in a statement that the company will "protect and defend" its IP against any unauthorized use.
"WiTricity is proud to see our technology being commercialized by our licensees," his statement reads. "In a future that is increasingly autonomous and hands-free, our wireless charging technology is becoming ever more important. We work with many global industry leaders, who respect WiTricity’s innovations, to incorporate WiTricity patented technology into their products."
WiTricity declined further comment.
MIT Physics Professor Marin Soljačić, who co-founded WiTricity in 2017, helped develop the electromagnetic resonance technology that allows electric power to be transferred through the air. The company's system, known as “highly resonant wireless power transfer,” is used for wireless charging of electric vehicles. The company, which controls over 1,000 issued patents worldwide, raised $34 million last month in a round led by Stage 1 Ventures.
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