California based Arista Networks was given a severe blow by the U.S government recently. Arista has been in a dispute with leading network hardware provider Cisco on procurement of switches which it lost. The government refused to set aside an order blocking importation for some of the switches for Arista.
The U.S International Trade Commission refused to withdraw the ruling against the cloud networking provider who had infringed patents on two Cisco switches. This infringement enforced the government to impose a ban on importing these products into the United States.
However, a startling revelation came from the U.S Patent and Trademark Office, stating that the two patents Cisco claimed were invalid negate the ruling of ITC.
Arista requested that the ITC withdraw the ban stating that this would be unfair since the Patent Office rendered the said patents of Cisco invalid. However, the ITC said the ruling by the Patent Office does not create a new situation for the ruling to be withdrawn.
Speaking on this latest development, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Arista Marc Taxay said they are extremely disappointed with the ruling and that it indicates a departure from the law.
Taxay confirmed they will appeal the ruling and provide products with some modifications to ensure the supply is not affected. Though Cisco did not comment in detail, they mentioned that the ITC had sent a strong message to Arista to stop its “act of copying.”
Anirudh M. for TechFunnel.com
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