In Hulls’ view, AGIS had claimed a patent on an obvious idea. AGIS claimed its patents were infringed by very basic functions of the Life360 app, such as its ability to “allow a user to touch a family member’s symbol on a map and initiate a rapid voice communication or text message.”
“We’re getting sued for having markers on a map showing where people are and allowing communication between them,” Hulls told a reporter at one point, adding that he could “show them a Star Trek episode from the 1960s” that had a similar system.
Credit: AGIS
The CEO’s public statements around his patent fight came up again during the post-trial battle over fees, with AGIS lawyers claiming Hulls was seeking to “harass and intimidate AGIS and its witnesses.”
“If anyone should be charged with bad faith and vexatious litigation conduct it is Life360, not AGIS,” wrote AGIS lawyers, seeking to prevent the fee award they were hit with yesterday. “Since the outset of this case, Life360 has sought to intimidate AGIS and the inventor, Mr. Beyer, by sabotaging their business and reputations in the press, disparaging AGIS as a ‘troll,’ and launching websites like ‘stopagis.com’ and ‘malcombeyer.com.’”
Once more, Hulls’ strident advocacy didn’t seem to hurt his cause. Beyer, who hasn’t sued anyone other than Life360, made clear today that he continues to object to the characterization of his company.
“As Life 360 well knows, AGIS is not a ‘troll’,” said Beyer. “I personally am the inventor of AGIS’s patents, and AGIS is a real company with real products and real sales. Mr. Hulls has stated that AGIS, Inc. is a failing firm, which it is not. If this fee award is allowed to stand after appeal, it will have a chilling effect on real inventors and startup companies that try to enforce their legitimate patent rights.”