The next big market for GPS systems—real-time traffic information—is headed to court. Mobile Traffic Systems filed suit in U.S. District Court in Alabama against the giants of the consumer global positioning system market—Garmin, Cobra, Magellan and TomTom—claiming they infringed on two patents that combine GPS with traffic information. Mobile Traffic is seeking a permanent injunction, as well as punitive and regular damages. Combining traffic reports with GPS systems—a so-called “mash-up” of existing technology—has been on the drawing board for consumer devices for years. Trucking companies have been using a version of it to maximize efficiency for long-distance hauling, but the services have been too expensive for consumers. A scaled down version of those services hit the market over the past year as add-ons for high-end GPS systems. So far, the technology is capable of showing drivers where traffic jams are, with updates for accidents.

Posted by GEN-ERIC at 12:14:23 am into the following categories: In The News

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