Covad Communications Co. announced Tuesday
it has won a summary judgement against Bell Atlantic Corp. in a patent
infringement claim filed against the national digital subscriber lLine
provider last year.
Covad (COVD)
was awarded the ruling from the Federal District Court in Norfolk,
Virginia late last week. The court rejected Bell Atlantic’s (BEL)
claim that Covad infringed a patent and eliminated the suit prior to trial.
Dhruv Khanna, Covad founder, executive vice president and general counsel,
said the judgement was an important step in its attempt to provide a
competitive alternative to Bell Atlantic DSL services in the Northeast.
“It is another win for consumers, and we are hopeful that Bell Atlantic
will stop attempting to erect roadblocks in the way of competitors,” Khanna
said.
Bell Atlantic filed its patent infringement claim against Covad last year,
just two weeks after Covad filed its federal antitrust and fraud law suit
against Bell Atlantic in Washington, D.C. Covad’s case currently remains
pending in federal court.
