Delta sued for inflight Wi-Fi service

Delta Air Lines and its in-flight Wi-Fi service provider have been sued by a Massachusetts company for patent infringement.

Ashland, Mass.-based Ambit Corp., a technology development firm, claims in its suit that Atlanta-based Delta and Wi-Fi provider Aircell LLC infringe on its patent for a “system for enabling communication from personal computer communication devices located within a passenger vehicle to a distant communication system located outside of said passenger vehicle,” using antennae on the devices.

Delta started rolling out its Wi-Fi service in December, launching the service on six planes with plans to gradually add service to more aircraft. Delta uses Itasca, Ill.-based Aircell’s new Gogo in-flight Internet system.

Ambit Corp., represented by intellectual property law firm Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds, filed the suit in U.S. District Court in Boston. Ambit was founded by a former Boston Scientific Corp. executive and a patent attorney.

Delta and Aircell said they would not comment on the pending litigation.