Rutgers Charges That OnStar Infringes on Its Patent

Rutgers University claims that technology used by General Motor Corp.'s OnStar service infringes on a patent owned by New Jersey's state university.

A lawsuit filed against OnStar Corp. seeks an unspecified amount of monetary compensation and an order barring the Detroit company from using the Rutgers patent.

GM spokeswoman Daphne Zheng declined to comment Friday on the lawsuit, citing company policy. She said the in-vehicle communication system was available starting in 1996 and now has about 4.5 million subscribers.

The Rutgers patent allows audio access to information in a wide area computer network. It was granted in 2001. The OnStar system alerts emergency rescue officials when an air bag deploys or the vehicle is struck in a moderate to severe crash. Subscribers can also get driving directions, roadside assistance and other services through the system.

New Brunswick-based Rutgers filed the lawsuit August 31 in U.S. District Court in Newark.