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Zebra Technologies Sued By Competitor Over Alleged Misappropriation Related To NFL Deal

Zebra Technologies, which provides a player location tracking system for use during NFL games, "has been accused of stealing the technology in a federal lawsuit" filed last week by a competing Massachusetts firm, Lynx Systems Developers, according to Robert Channick of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE. Lynx, which rolled out its own NFL player tracking system for a trial run during the '12-13 season, said that Zebra "misappropriated trade secrets, interfered with existing business relationships and wrongfully filed patent applications claiming ownership of the technology." The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, "seeks to stop Zebra from moving forward on a deal struck with the NFL, which was set to roll out to all 31 stadiums this season." It also seeks "fair compensation" for lost profits and damages. Zebra previously "supplied its RFID chips to Lynx for use with an earlier system that was tested" on Dolphins players at Sun Life Stadium. During the '12 season, Lynx "entered into a collaboration agreement with Chicago-based Sportvision, best known for the virtual yellow first down line used in NFL broadcasts, to incorporate the data for other media uses." The lawsuit alleges that after the test, the NFL "wanted to ramp up the system, marketed as IsoLynx, across the entire league." The lawsuit claims that once Zebra "became aware of the 'enormous value and growth potential' of the newly developed technology, the company first tried unsuccessfully to buy the system with a 'low-ball acquisition offer' and then squeezed Lynx out of the game" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 6/13).

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