A second patent infringement lawsuit between two major claim technology providers has flared up a public relations battle after a nearly two-year hiatus.

Accenture said it filed its most recent lawsuit in Delaware to expand its overall case against Guidewire for patent infringement. Accenture said it now has two suits pending in the state. Both allege that Guidewire infringed upon three of its U.S. patents relating to its Claim Components solution, which is a Web-based suite of software components for managing insurance claims. The first lawsuit was filed in December 2007.

Accenture's Claim Components solution has had eight U.S. and 10 other worldwide patents granted since 1999.

Guidewire, which provides core systems to property/casualty insurers, rebutted the charges in a release issued yesterday. In it, the company essentially accused Accenture of sour grapes.

"Accenture is using the legal system to fight a battle they are losing in the marketplace," said John Raguin, CEO for Guidewire. "These allegations are a competitive tactic designed to disrupt our business. We're pleased that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) has issued a preliminary ruling rejecting the claims in Accenture's '284 patent, the subject of Accenture's previous lawsuit against us, and we have now asked the U.S. PTO to re-examine the validity of the '240 patent, which is the subject of Accenture's latest allegations."

An Accenture spokesman responded to Guidewire's statement with his own stern words.

"Defendants typically attack a patent's validity as a defense," he said. "However, we are confident that our patents will be upheld both at trial and by the patent office. When anyone violates our intellectual property, we will pursue all appropriate legal remedies to protect it."

Special Reports /

Accenture Accuses Guidewire of Patent Infringement Again

Related Stories

Recommended For You