Judge Rejects Transfer of Background-Check IP, Antitrust Suit

A federal judge in Sacramento, Calif., refused to transfer to Oklahoma a suit accusing background-check software maker Miller Mendel Inc. of filing meritless patent cases to keep a an upstart rival from winning contracts with law enforcement agencies.

Guardian Alliance Technologies Inc. filed its antitrust suit in August 2022, less than a year after Miller Mendel sued Guardian’s client, Oklahoma City, alleging infringement of its US Patent No. 10,043,188. The first-to-file rule doesn’t apply because “nothing of consequence has occurred in the Oklahoma Action despite its earlier date of filing, and this case presents several legal and factual issues ...