Mitek Files Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against USAA

The two parties are in a dispute over mobile RDC technology.

Mobile imaging software solutions provider Mitek Systems has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against San Antonio, Texas-based USAA pertaining to mobile RDC.

The legal action by San Diego-based Mitek comes after USAA filed a lawsuit alleging that Mitek had appropriated USAA mobile RDC technology.

A Mitek statement claimed that "USAA infringes five Mitek patents relating to image capture on mobile devices, that USAA breached the parties' license agreement by using Mitek products beyond the scope of the agreed-upon license terms, and that USAA breached the parties' license agreement by disclosing confidential pricing and other confidential information for a Mitek legacy product installation."

In its lawsuit, USAA's claims against Mitek include "misappropriation of USAA's proprietary information", breach of contract and fraud.

The Larger RDC Market

Generally speaking, the USAA-Mitek imbroglio will likely not hinder the RDC market as a whole, says Celent senior analyst Bob Meara.

Meara recalls the case of DataTreasury, a Plano, Texas company that held several patents pertaining to check imaging and infamously engaged in a number of patent infringement lawsuits against financial institutions and vendors who had technology and processes related to the Check Clearing for the 21st Century Act, better known as Check 21.

Meara notes that those legal actions slowed the Check 21 product market as many banks were concerned about the threat of legal action from DataTreasury, and some vendors settled with them before offering a solution for the ability to indemnify their clients from potential legal action.

However, Meara says the mobile RDC market is a bit different because "the product is pretty well-honed already."

Bryan Yurcan is associate editor for Bank Systems and Technology. He has worked in various editorial capacities for newspapers and magazines for the past 8 years. After beginning his career as a municipal and courts reporter for daily newspapers in upstate New York, Bryan has ... View Full Bio