RICHMOND, Va., July 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Dominion
Voltage, Inc. (DVI), a grid optimization subsidiary of Dominion
Resources, Inc. (NYSE: D), today announced that following a jury
trial in the United States District Court for the Eastern District
of Pennsylvania, Dominion won a
jury verdict against Alstom Grid, Inc.
The jury unanimously found that Alstom Grid infringed a
Dominion-owned patent (U.S. Patent No. 8,437,883 "the patent"),
claiming an invention that improves grid efficiency through the use
of smart meters and Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) for the
process of conservation voltage reduction. The patent is one
of several patents protecting DVI's EDGE® product
family, an industry leading Volt/VAR optimization solution
currently in use by 12 utilities in North
America.
The jury also unanimously found that the patent is valid and
that Alstom Grid willfully induced infringement through the
installation of its distribution management system at a customer
location.
In addition, Alstom's petitions to challenge the validity of
Dominion's patent 8,437,883 and 8,577,510 were denied by the U.S
Patent and Trademark Office.
"We are extremely pleased with the federal jury's ruling, which
affirms DVI's position that it has very strong patents protecting
EDGE®," said Todd
Headlee, executive director of DVI. "Dominion's
significant investment and focus on smart grid innovation have been
key to our success in the development of patented, industry leading
solutions. We are committed to taking any action necessary to
protect these valuable investments."
Dominion was represented by Jeffrey K.
Sherwood and Salvatore P.
Tamburo of Blank Rome LLP.
About DVI
DVI is a leading provider of grid analytics
and control technology, providing solutions for energy efficiency,
demand response, Volt/VAR control, and system reliability. DVI's
patented approach plans, manages and validates utilities' grid
optimization programs while delivering significant savings to both
utilities and their customers (U.S. patents 8437883, 8577510,
9325174, 9354641, 9367075 and other U.S. and international patents
pending). For more information about DVI, visit
www.dvigridsolutions.com.
About Dominion
Dominion is one of the nation's
largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of
approximately 25,700 megawatts of generation, 12,200 miles of
natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline, and 6,500
miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion operates one
of the nation's largest natural gas storage systems with 933
billion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves more than 5
million utility and retail energy customers in 14 states. For more
information about Dominion, visit the company's website
at www.dom.com/.
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SOURCE Dominion Voltage Inc.