Zeiss questions patent infringement with Signet

San Diego-Carl Zeiss Vision International GmbH and Carl Zeiss Vision Inc. (CZV) have filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Signet Armorlite Inc., San Marcos, CA, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.

CZV asserts that Signet's line of Kodak Unique spectacle lenses and the process used to make those lenses infringes United States Patent No. 6,089,713 ('713). No comment was available from Signet.

Fred Howard, CZV president and general manager-Americas, said, "Our freeform lens technology covered by the '713 patent is an essential part of our approach to progressive lens customization. CZV is one of the world's leading creators of intellectual property in the field of ophthalmic lenses, and we intend to protect that property against unauthorized exploitation."