Small win for AOPA over FlightPrep

Always interesting when two of the biggies get into it. Good for AOPA .
 
http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All-News/2014/July/24/Judge-dismisses-patent-case-against-AOPA

At least someone has the huevos to stand up against SD Holdings. Gonna take a lot of work to undo the damage done by Runwayfinder and SkyVector.

Of course, this is just a jurisdiction issue, not a full win yet.

A. skyvector is an incredible tool that hopefully will someday add free flight planning.

B. AOPA won nothing, the judge threw it out due to jurisdiction and venue not merits. SD can refile anytime they want and the suit will go forward.
 
A. skyvector is an incredible tool that hopefully will someday add free flight planning.

B. AOPA won nothing, the judge threw it out due to jurisdiction and venue not merits. SD can refile anytime they want and the suit will go forward.

A. No doubt. But it comes with a fine dribble of FlightPrep's patent on the chin, and with my goatee, that doesn't sound particularly tempting. It gets sticky, and I don't share FlightPrep's desire for the taste.
B. I admitted as much in the OP. Its merely a jurisdictional battle, but AOPA does retain the rights to recoup legal fees when someone finally sees the patent for what it is.

I'd love to see SD Holdings have the balls to go after Google....since they must have stolen their idea for Google Maps from them....
 
Reflecting on this...

Was it SD Holdings that caused RunwayFinder.com to go dark? If not, refresh my memory who RF got tangled up with.
 
Reflecting on this...

Was it SD Holdings that caused RunwayFinder.com to go dark? If not, refresh my memory who RF got tangled up with.

It was SD Holdings. SD owns 1 thing, Flight Prep.

SkyVector, RunwayFinder and Navgator all got into it with them.

SkyVector got on their knees, the others quit playing.
 
B. AOPA won nothing, the judge threw it out due to jurisdiction and venue not merits. SD can refile anytime they want and the suit will go forward.
Wasn't exactly nothing. FlightPrep filed the suit in its friendly local Federal court, in Portland, Oregon. Now they'll have to litigate the case, if at all, on AOPA's home turf in Maryland. It will make a substantial difference in the cost of the litigation, as well as the risks.
 
A. skyvector is an incredible tool that hopefully will someday add free flight planning.

A. Already exists.


B. Hard for me to say well done to AOPA, but well done. Now - if they would only show this kind of zeal with the feds, we might get somewhere.
 
I used FlightPrep up until SD pulled this stunt. Deleted it from my computer and never looked back.
 
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