IBM has filed a lawsuit against Swiss-based company LzLabs, claiming the latter has repeatedly infringed on patents safeguarding the firm’s mainframes technology.
LzLabs is accused of infringing five patents, two of which describe IBM mainframe instructions that LzLabs must reproduce with Intel x86 instructions; two that describe emulation/translation techniques to ensure optimal performance; and one that describes a method of identifying and substituting an x86 for each IBM program called by mainframe applications.
IBM contends that LzLabs has also abused the firm’s trade secrets through reverse engineering, reverse compiling, and code translation. In its lawsuit filed in the US District Court in Waco, Texas, IBM also asserts that LzLabs' claims about its products are false and misleading.
Per reports, IBM has sought an injunction against LzLabs for unauthorized use of its intellectual property and trade secrets.
Evidence suggests LzLabs is owned and run by former founders of Austin-based Neo Enterprise Software, LLC.
In prior litigation between IBM and Neon, a US District Court permanently enjoined Neon from, among other things, reverse engineering, reverse compiling and translating parts of IBM software, including the distribution of its own software products.
At the time of this writing, neither LzLabs nor its representatives have responded to IBM’s allegations.
