Pioneer, Honeywell reach amicable agreement

Pioneer Corp. has reached a patent agreement with Honeywell International Inc., granting it the right to use Pioneer's technology for automotive and portable GPS navigation devices. The agreement also grants to Pioneer the right to use Honeywell's patented technology for navigation devices.

Pioneer had filed a complaint with the International Trade Commission against Honeywell and Garmin International Inc. for infringing Pioneer's GPS navigation patents, including U.S. Patent Nos. 5,424,951 and 6,122,592. Honeywell will be released from the matter while the investigation against Garmin will continue.

In a separate investigation at the ITC begun by Honeywell against Pioneer and others more than one year ago, Pioneer received a favorable ruling from the Administrative Law Judge. It was found that Pioneer products do not infringe any valid claim of the asserted Honeywell patents. The matter will now be terminated following ITC approval.

"Pioneer is pleased that the parties have agreed to settle their respective ITC investigations." said Kazumi Kuriyama, executive officer and general manager of the IP division at Pioneer. "Pioneer has long been a leader in the area of GPS navigation technology and this agreement shows that Honeywell respects the IP of Pioneer in the navigation field."

Pioneer Corp. a manufacturer of high-performance audio, video and computer equipment for the home, car and business markets. Pioneer remains committed to the protection of its business operations through the active enforcement of its IP rights.