The case is American Fire Wire, Inc. v. RFS Technologies, Inc., No. 2:26-cv-00923 (E.D. Tex.), filed October 13, 2026. The defendants are RFS Technologies, Inc., RFS Holdings GmbH, Amphenol Corporation, Windy City Wire, Cable & Technology Products, LLC, and Talley LLC. American Fire Wire is represented by Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP and Miller Fair Henry PLLC, and it demands a jury.

Patents and accused products

The complaint asserts U.S. Patent 9,773,585, titled "Fire resistant coaxial cable," and U.S. Patent 10,283,239, titled "Fire resistant coaxial cable and manufacturing technique." The accused products are the DragonSkin fire resistant coaxial cables, which the complaint says RFS launched around April 2020 and which the other defendants sell or distribute. The complaint says the patents are not the subject of any proceeding before the USPTO.

What the patents cover

Claim 18 of the '585 patent covers a fire resistant coaxial cable apparatus with a center conductor, a ceramic fiber wrap dielectric surrounding the center conductor, and an outer conductor surrounding the dielectric. The dielectric maintains a predetermined spacing between the two conductors, fixed at a constant between 3.4 and 7.6 millimeters, and a ceramifiable silicone rubber inner jacket or a ceramic fiber wrap inner jacket surrounds the outer conductor.

Claim 13 of the '239 patent covers a similar apparatus in which the ceramic fiber wrap dielectric maintains the spacing between the conductors when heated above 1010 degrees C, and a ceramic fiber wrap insulating jacket of refractory aluminoborosilicate, aluminosilica, or alumina fiber material surrounds the outer conductor.

What the lawsuit is about

The complaint says American Fire Wire designed a coaxial cable by 2016 to survive two hours of fire at 1,850 degrees F under NFPA test conditions, for the in-building antenna and cable networks that carry first responder communications. It alleges that RFS employees posed as customers to learn about the product in 2018 and 2019, that RFS then launched DragonSkin, and that American Fire Wire notified RFS of its patents in December 2020. It charts each element of the two asserted claims against DragonSkin.

Venue is pleaded under 28 U.S.C. 1400(b) for RFS, Amphenol, Windy City Wire, and Talley, and under 28 U.S.C. 1391(c)(3) for RFS Holdings GmbH as a foreign entity. For RFS, the complaint relies on the homes and cars of employees in the district, including a sales and marketing executive, and on the other defendants' in-district facilities, including an Amphenol facility in Allen, a Windy City Wire warehouse in Plano, and a Talley warehouse in Lewisville, on ratification, alter ego, and agency theories.

Relief sought

American Fire Wire pleads willful infringement and compliance with the marking statute, 35 U.S.C. 287. It asks for a permanent injunction under 35 U.S.C. 283, damages including lost profits, treble damages for willful infringement under 35 U.S.C. 284, and attorneys' fees under 35 U.S.C. 285.

What to watch next

Watch for service on RFS Holdings GmbH, the defendants' answers or motions to dismiss or transfer, and the scheduling order.