Semiconductor vendor Entropic has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against ViXS. 

The complaint, which was filed yesterday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, alleges that ViXS’s products infringe upon two of Entropic’s patents: U.S. Patent No. 7,295,518, issued on Nov. 13, 2007, and U.S. Patent No. 7,889,759 issued on Feb. 15, 2011. The first patent is entitled “Broadband network for coaxial cable using multi-carrier modulation,” while the second is called “Broadband cable network utilizing common bit-loading.”

Both patents relate to Entropic’s Multimedia over Coax Alliance (MoCA) technology, which are used for home networking.

“We believe ViXS is infringing upon two of our core home networking patents, and our action today is a strategic step to protect our intellectual property,” said Lance Bridges, senior vice president and general counsel, Entropic.

Entropic is seeking an undisclosed amount in monetary damages from ViXS.

Today ViXS responded by saying it believed Entropic’s patent infringement claim was entirely without merit, and that it will vigorously defend itself.

“ViXS keenly respects intellectual property, having built a significant portfolio of more than 400 issued and pending patents over the past decade,” said Indra Laksono, CTO and co-founder, ViXS. “We are confident in our technology.”

“With no prior notice from Entropic on this matter, we find the timing of this lawsuit questionable,” said Sally Daub, president and CEO, ViXS. “We will respond with a robust position.”