Kapsch TrafficCom North America (Kapsch) is pleased to report that the US International Trade Commission (ITC) has ruled in final form in favour of Kapsch in a legal motion brought by Neology. The ruling of the full Commission is in response to Neology’s request for reconsideration of the ITC judge’s initial decision on June 26, 2017, that Kapsch does not violate any patent assertions by importing electronic tolling products using the ISO/IEC 18000-6C communications protocol (‘6C Standard’).
The ruling of the full Commission is in response to Neology’s request for reconsideration of the ITC judge’s initial decision on June 26, 2017, that Kapsch does not violate any patent assertions by importing electronic tolling products using the ISO/IEC 18000-6C communications protocol (‘6C Standard’).
“This final ITC ruling underscores the Kapsch belief that the 6C Standard is and should remain an open communications protocol,” said Chris Murray, president of Kapsch TrafficCom North America.
“The Commission’s decision will facilitate the goal of national electronic tolling interoperability in the US by enabling access to those seeking to work with and implement various toll technology specifications.”
Kapsch has been a strong proponent of open standards and interoperability within the Electronic Tolling Solutions industry and marketplace. Open standard communication protocols are critical to meeting the goals of the US Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), enacted in 2012, which mandates national agreement on tolling technologies and business practices to facilitate national electronic tolling interoperability.
In support of this, Kapsch released and published its Open Standard Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) specification to the public in 2013, enabling open and free access to developers working with the highly reliable and thoroughly tested TDM specification. The TDM protocol is currently utilized by the E-ZPass® Group, the largest interoperable tolling network in the country.
Kapsch believes that any protocol utilized in the industry, such as the 6C Standard should remain open. In the face of Neology’s various efforts to extract an undeserved multimillion-dollar payout, Kapsch held its ground and stood up for the right to practice the 6C Standard in the tolling and RFID industry.
“Kapsch is a firm believer in open standards to facilitate national electronic tolling interoperability, and determined that ensuring a truly open ISO 18000-6C standard is critical if it is to play a role in achieving the MAP 21 goals,” said Chris Murray.
