Symantec Corp. today announced that it has reached a settlement agreement with Aladdin Knowledge Systems Inc. in the case involving Symantec’s U.S. Patent No. 5,319,776, which covers in-transit scanning for malicious code.

As part of the agreement, Aladdin obtained a license under this patent from Symantec for Aladdin’s integrated content security products. The terms of the settlement are confidential. This agreement resolves all pending litigation between the two companies.

“This settlement validates that this technology is fundamental in advancing security solutions in the marketplace,” said John W. Thompson, Symantec chairman and chief executive officer. “When we purchased the patent, we recognized just how critical it was to several security technology defenses and how essential it can be in providing comprehensive protection against the growing number of threats in today’s environment.”

Symantec purchased the patent in August 2003 as part of a settlement in Hilgraeve, Inc. v. Symantec Corp. and therefore became the plaintiff in the pending litigation against several defendants including Aladdin (see Aug. 18, 2003 press release).