Verkada, an enterprise building security start-up, is suing Motorola Solutions, a provider of public and commercial safety solutions, regarding a complaint Motorola Solutions filed with the United States International Trade Commission, stating that Verkada has infringed on multiple patents by Avigilon, Motorola Solutions' subsidiary. 

According to the complaint filed by Verkada, the company states that, instead of competing, Motorola Solutions seeks to shut Verkada’s business down.

“Since its founding in 2016, Verkada has grown rapidly and continues to gain and grow its share of the enterprise physical security market,” the Verkada complaint states. “Indeed, more than 6,000 organizations, including over thirty Fortune 500 companies, use Verkada to protect people and assets, secure facilities, and gain new insights that improve the efficiency of their operations. Verkada’s vision is to be the operating system that runs every building in the world. Competitors, such as Avigilon, have taken note.”

Additionally, the Verkada complaint states the company is not infringing on Avigilon patents, as Motorola Solutions alleges in the ITC complaint, filed on Aug. 9.

In Motorola Solution’s complaint, the company alleges that Verkada has relied on and incorporated intellectual property owned by Avigilon since its founding in 2016. Verkada refutes this claim, saying it has not infringed on any Avigilon patents. 

“Verkada was founded to reimagine our industry and deliver to customers cutting edge, integrated hardware and software that is easy-to-use and highly scalable,” the company said in a past statement. “This fresh take on a traditional space disrupted established players who have not been able to match the same type of seamless experience that has helped us grow.”

In response to the countersuit, Motorola Solutions believes that Verkada's complaint is “entirely without merit.”

“In fact, the U.S. International Trade Commission decided on September 8 to investigate Verkada’s infringement of these patents, and that investigation is proceeding,” Motorola Solutions added. “We intend to vigorously pursue our infringement claims at the U.S. International Trade Commission and will respond to Verkada’s complaint in due course. We look forward to the opportunity to present our case.”

SDM has reached out to Verkada for comment, and will update the story as it develops.