John Mezzalingua Associates, Inc.

Company overview. John Mezzalingua Associates, Inc. (d/b/a PPC, Inc.) is a Syracuse, New York–area manufacturer of broadband connectivity hardware, based at 6176 E. Molloy Road, East Syracuse. It traces its origin to Production Products Co., founded in 1942 (some sources say 1940) by John Mezzalingua. The business was family-owned until December 10, 2012, when Belden Inc. (NYSE: BDC) acquired it for $515.7 million; the company was renamed PPC Broadband, Inc. and became a wholly owned Belden subsidiary. At the time of sale it reported roughly $238 million in 2012 revenue and about 774 employees (Belden 8-K/press release, Dec. 2012; Syracuse.com).

Products / operations. PPC designs and manufactures coaxial cable connectors and related broadband components for cable/MSO and telecom customers: F-connectors and assemblies, compression connectors, drop amplifiers, splitters, taps, traps and filters, hardline connectors, cable molding/raceways, fiber connectivity products, and wireless/DAS connectivity. It holds a large connector patent portfolio and supplies network operators directly and through distribution.

Patent-litigation posture. This is an operating company, not an NPE, and it has been an active patent enforcer against connector competitors. In the tracked data it appears once, as plaintiff and zero times as defendant. External records show a broader two-way history: infringement suits asserting connector patents against Corning Gilbert, Arris, PCT International, and others, alongside defensive/declaratory actions such as Arrow Communication Laboratories v. John Mezzalingua and Thomas & Betts International v. John Mezzalingua.

Notable cases/context. The tracked case, John Mezzalingua Associates, Inc. v. Thomas & Betts Corporation et al., No. 6:11-cv-06327 (W.D.N.Y., Rochester), filed June 30, 2011 under 35 U.S.C. § 271, asserted U.S. Patent 7,833,053 ("Connector having conductive member and method of use thereof"); the docket indicates the action was transferred from the Eastern District of Texas, and named Thomas & Betts and Belden Inc. as defendants. PPC also brought ITC Investigation No. 337-TA-650 on coaxial connectors; the related Federal Circuit appeal (John Mezzalingua Assocs. v. Int'l Trade Comm'n, 660 F.3d 1322 (2011)) addressed domestic-industry/licensing issues.