Sonomatic v. Innetiqs: Infringement Case Dismissed After 517 Days
UK-based Sonomatic Limited brought a patent infringement action against German firm Innetiqs GmbH in Texas Southern District Court, asserting two ultrasonic inspection patents against the MAtriQs Software and MagIQ SZ200 products. Judge Andrew Hanen granted Innetiqs’s motion to dismiss, terminating the case after 517 days without a merits ruling.
Ultrasonic inspection patent dispute ends on procedural dismissal
Sonomatic Limited, a UK-based provider of ultrasonic non-destructive testing (NDT) services and technology, filed suit against Innetiqs GmbH, a German inspection software and hardware company, in the Texas Southern District Court on 8 December 2023. The complaint alleged infringement of two patents — US8536860B2 and US9213018B2 — both relating to ultrasonic inspection methods and systems. The accused products were Innetiqs’s MAtriQs Software platform and the MagIQ SZ200 hardware device.
The case was terminated on 8 May 2025 when Judge Andrew S. Hanen granted Innetiqs’s Motion to Dismiss (docket entry 16). The basis of termination is recorded as ‘Case Dismissed,’ but the public record does not expressly specify whether the dismissal was with or without prejudice. A dismissal on a Rule 12 motion to dismiss can carry different consequences depending on whether the court dismissed on jurisdictional grounds, pleading deficiency, or another basis — details not available from the docket summary.
The 517-day duration — from filing through to dismissal — suggests substantive procedural engagement before the case ended, consistent with full briefing of the motion to dismiss. What drove the grant of the motion remains unclear from the public record: possibilities include deficient pleading of infringement, lack of personal jurisdiction over a German defendant in Texas, or standing issues. The absence of a published merits ruling means the patents’ validity and enforceability were never adjudicated in this proceeding.
Filing to Case Dismissed in 517 days
517 days — above the median for patent cases resolved on a motion to dismiss in the Southern District of Texas
Motion to dismiss granted: what the termination means for both parties
Motion to dismiss ends case without merits ruling
Judge Hanen granted Innetiqs’s Motion to Dismiss under docket entry 16. A successful motion to dismiss typically disposes of a case on procedural or pleading grounds — such as failure to state a claim, lack of jurisdiction, or improper venue — without the court ever reaching the substance of the infringement or validity questions. The precise legal basis is not disclosed in the available docket record.
No infringement ruling issuedPublic record is silent on prejudice designation
The termination basis is recorded simply as ‘Case Dismissed’ without specifying whether it is with or without prejudice. This distinction is material: a dismissal with prejudice bars Sonomatic from re-filing the same claims, while a dismissal without prejudice preserves that option. Until the full order is reviewed, neither outcome can be confirmed. Practitioners should retrieve the actual order text before drawing enforcement conclusions.
Prejudice designation unconfirmedSonomatic’s infringement claims did not survive to merits stage
Sonomatic’s failure to reach a merits determination means it did not obtain an injunction or damages in this proceeding. Whether it can re-file — in Texas or another forum — depends on the grounds and prejudice designation of the dismissal. The patents US8536860B2 and US9213018B2 remain on the register and were not invalidated, leaving Sonomatic’s enforcement options technically intact subject to the order’s terms.
Patents survive, claims unresolvedInnetiqs products face no injunction — but litigation risk persists
Innetiqs’s MAtriQs Software and MagIQ SZ200 products face no court-imposed restriction as a result of this proceeding. However, since the patents were not invalidated, the underlying IP risk has not been eliminated. Companies in the ultrasonic NDT and inspection software sector should monitor any re-filing activity by Sonomatic and consider freedom-to-operate analysis against both patents, which remain enforceable.
FTO review recommendedFull party and counsel information
| Role | Name | Type | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plaintiff | Sonomatic Limited | Individual | Ultrasonic NDT technology company — holder of US8536860B2 and US9213018B2Search in Eureka ↗ |
| Defendant | Innetiqs GmbH | Company | German inspection software and hardware firm — developer of MAtriQs Software and MagIQ SZ200Search in Eureka ↗ |
| Plaintiff counsel | Ashley Boland Summer | Attorney | Counsel for Sonomatic LimitedSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Plaintiff counsel | Craig D. Dillard | Attorney | Counsel for Sonomatic LimitedSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Plaintiff counsel | Jason Paul Sharp | Attorney | Counsel for Sonomatic LimitedSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Plaintiff law firm | Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP | Law Firm | Representing Sonomatic LimitedSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Defendant counsel | Kai Stornebel | Attorney | Counsel for Innetiqs GmbHSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Defendant counsel | Paul Robert Juhasz | Attorney | Counsel for Innetiqs GmbHSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Defendant counsel | Ray Thomas Torgerson | Attorney | Counsel for Innetiqs GmbHSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Defendant law firm | Gramm, Lins & Partner | Law Firm | Representing Innetiqs GmbHSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Defendant law firm | Porter & Hedges LLP | Law Firm | Representing Innetiqs GmbHSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Defendant law firm | The Juhasz Law Firm, PC | Law Firm | Representing Innetiqs GmbHSearch in Eureka ↗ |
| Presiding judge | Judge Andrew S Hanen | Judge | Texas Southern District CourtSearch in Eureka ↗ |
Official order — verbatim text
The order granting docket entry 16 — the Motion to Dismiss — terminated the case without any infringement finding or validity determination. The phrasing ‘Case terminated’ is procedural rather than substantive, meaning neither party received a ruling on the merits. For Innetiqs, the dismissal eliminates immediate liability exposure in this proceeding. For Sonomatic, the outcome is neutral on patent validity but potentially significant on enforcement strategy, depending on whether the court imposed a prejudice bar on re-filing.
US8536860B2 & US9213018B2 — Ultrasonic Inspection Systems and Methods
US8536860B2 (application no. US12/524700) and US9213018B2 (application no. US13/509779) both fall within the ultrasonic non-destructive testing (NDT) domain. The earlier application dates — 2009 and 2012 respectively — place these patents in an era of significant development in digital signal processing for industrial inspection. Sonomatic asserted both patents against Innetiqs’s MAtriQs Software and MagIQ SZ200, products positioned in the industrial inspection and integrity management market.
In the NDT and industrial inspection sector, software-hardware integration patents of this vintage carry meaningful defensive and offensive value. Competitors developing inspection data management platforms, phased-array ultrasonic tools, or automated flaw-detection algorithms should evaluate the claim scope of both patents. The fact that these patents survived this litigation without validity challenge means they carry their full presumption of validity into any future enforcement action — a material risk for the sector.
Should your team run an FTO against US8536860B2 and US9213018B2?
Any organisation developing ultrasonic inspection software, phased-array NDT systems, or inspection data analytics platforms — particularly those selling into the US market — should assess freedom-to-operate against both Sonomatic patents. The dismissal of this case did not invalidate either patent. Innetiqs faced this risk directly; suppliers, integrators, and OEMs in the same product category face the same exposure.
PatSnap Eureka’s FTO Search Agent can map the claim scope of US8536860B2 and US9213018B2 against your product architecture, identify design-around opportunities, and surface prior art relevant to any IPR petition. With both patents still active and no invalidity finding on record, a structured FTO review is the most defensible first step before product launch or market expansion.
Run a freedom-to-operate analysis on US8536860B2 to assess your product’s exposure
Run FTO in Eureka →Similar patent infringement cases in ultrasonic NDT and inspection technology
Cases involving ultrasonic inspection and NDT technology patents in US district courts, particularly where foreign defendants challenged jurisdiction or pleading sufficiency.
What this case signals for the NDT and inspection technology IP landscape
A cross-border patent dispute in industrial inspection technology resolved on procedure — not merits — leaves IP risk unresolved for the sector.
Procedural dismissal leaves patent validity untested
Because the case ended on a motion to dismiss rather than on the merits, neither US8536860B2 nor US9213018B2 has been adjudicated as valid or invalid. Competitors and licensees in the ultrasonic inspection space should treat these patents as fully enforceable and conduct FTO analysis accordingly. A future filing remains possible depending on the dismissal’s prejudice terms.
Cross-border enforcement against German defendants in Texas carries jurisdictional risk
Sonomatic’s choice to sue a German entity in Texas Southern District Court was a strategic decision that may have contributed to the successful motion to dismiss. Patent holders asserting US rights against foreign defendants must carefully establish personal jurisdiction — through US sales, distribution, or targeted activity. This case is consistent with that challenge.
Limited v Innetiqs — key questions answered
Sonomatic Limited filed a patent infringement action against Innetiqs GmbH in the Texas Southern District Court in December 2023, asserting US8536860B2 and US9213018B2 against the MAtriQs Software and MagIQ SZ200 products. Judge Andrew Hanen granted Innetiqs’s Motion to Dismiss on 8 May 2025, terminating the case after 517 days without a merits ruling on infringement or validity.
No. The case was dismissed on a motion to dismiss before any merits determination. Neither patent was found invalid or unenforceable in this proceeding. Both patents retain their full presumption of validity and remain enforceable. Any future challenge would need to proceed via a new litigation or an inter partes review petition at the USPTO.
The publicly available docket record designates the termination as ‘Case Dismissed’ without specifying whether it was with or without prejudice. This distinction is legally material: with prejudice would bar Sonomatic from re-filing the same claims, while without prejudice would preserve that option. Practitioners should obtain the full text of Judge Hanen’s order to confirm the prejudice designation.
Sonomatic accused two Innetiqs products: the MAtriQs Software platform and the MagIQ SZ200 hardware device. Both products are positioned in the industrial inspection and integrity management sector, using ultrasonic non-destructive testing technology. No infringement finding was made as the case was dismissed before reaching a merits ruling.
The specific grounds for the motion to dismiss are not disclosed in the available docket summary. Common grounds in cases involving foreign defendants sued in US district courts include lack of personal jurisdiction — particularly where the defendant’s US-directed activity is limited — as well as deficient infringement pleading under Twombly/Iqbal standards. The 517-day duration suggests full briefing occurred before the ruling, consistent with a substantive jurisdictional or pleading challenge.
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