Microsoft hit with $106M fine in patent dispute

By The Associated Press

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Get the latest product design news and headlines - Sign up now!

[-] Text [+]

Read/Post Comments

Microsoft Corp. has been hit with a nearly $106 million fine for violating two patents held by a communications company.

The verdict came today after a weeklong trial in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

Lawyers for VirnetX Holding, which is based in Scotts Valley, say the $105.75 million verdict was $71.75 million for infringing one patent, and $34 million for infringing another.

The patents cover ways to establish virtual private network, or VPN, connections, which are used to protect Internet and other data traffic from snoops. The traffic is generally encrypted, or scrambled so outsiders can't decipher it.

Microsoft says it is disappointed by the jury's verdict and that it believes it didn't infringe the patents. It says it will appeal.

Click here to follow PD&D on Twitter

ALSO ON PD&D

RELATED TOPICS

Cameco Reports Document Filings 3/31/2010

Four power projects approved in B.C., but not offshore wind project 3/31/2010

Bucking Horse Energy Inc. Announces Year-End Financial Results 3/31/2010

FairPoint chief financial officer resigns 3/31/2010

Colorado power plant bill poised to become law 3/31/2010

MICROSOFT

JOIN THE DISCUSSION
Rate Article:

Average 0 out of 5

1 Comments

J. Williams 3/17/2010 5:04:22 PM

after they get done with tort reform, it's time to rein in the patent trolls. They protect nothing.

Add Comment

Text Only 2000 character limit

Page 1 of 1

At Issue

FIRST Update from Team 71, Team Hammond: And so it Begins…
Randy Weber of Team Hammond

Risky Business: Funding Medical Device Innovation
Rahul Sathe, Principal Mechanical Engineer, Surgical and Interventional Products, Cambridge Consultants

Extracting Nuggets from the Invention Mine
Tom Tuytschaevers, a member of our Patent Practice Group

More At Issue

Site Sponsors

Videos & Webcasts

Visualizing Video at the Speed of Light: One Trillion Frames Per Second 2/9/2012
MIT Media Lab researchers have created a new imaging system that can acquire visual data at a rate of one trillion frames per second. Continue

The Energy Miser Concept Home 2/8/2012
Lower energy bills while making the house more comfortable, quieter, and safer? Who cares when you're demonstrating a completely Apple-based home control and automation system. Continue

Inside the Audi A7 2/8/2012
When you take a look at the GPS system, you see real-time Google Earth 3D image navigation rather than cartoon-colored maps. It also powers the night vision system which includes a thermal camera to help detect pedestrians. Continue