02-13-2017 , 06:46 PM
Google Chrome Found to Infringe on Malware Patent, Ordered to Pay $20 Million
Google wants to keep fighting against the patent
Google’s Chrome browser infringed on four anti-malware patents, a court in Texas decided, ordering the company to dig for $20 million into its pockets.
According to the case file, the patents were awarded to Allen Rozman, former Lucent engineer, and Alfonso J. Cioffi. Rozman died back in 2012, but Cioffi decided to take Google to court in 2013.
The case was dismissed back in 2014 by US District Judge Gilstrap. Then, plaintiffs acknowledged that under the judge’s interpretation of “web browser process”, an infringement claim wouldn’t hold up. But the case was not close by a long shot because Cioffi and Rozman’s family decided to file an appeal, Law360 reports.
The Federal Court decided that Judge Gilstrap’s decision was erroneous due to his interpretation of the words “web browser process.” Under the original interpretation, a web browser process had to be capable of accessing a website without using another web browser process. That meant that a component of Google Chrome accused of infringing the patents couldn’t meet the limitation set by the definition.
“We see nothing that indicates that Cioffi intended its invention to do anything other than protect ‘critical files’ as that concept is widely understood by those of skill in the art,” the Federal Circuit court wrote in the decision.
The fight may not be over yet
Google has appealed to the US Supreme Court to hear the case, but the request was declined. Google, however, is optimistic and is currently evaluating its options, saying it remains confident that the patents are invalid and that Chrome does not infringe.
Google has had a pretty good record of winning patent trials, but it seems that this time luck wasn’t on its side. Whether the company will do more to fight against the $20 million in damages it has to pay the plaintiffs remains to be seen. The money covers the last four years of the patent, but the royalty will apply to the next nine years until the patent expires, which puts the total sum the plaintiffs could get rise to $65 million.
Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/google-ch...2892.shtml
Google wants to keep fighting against the patent
Google’s Chrome browser infringed on four anti-malware patents, a court in Texas decided, ordering the company to dig for $20 million into its pockets.
According to the case file, the patents were awarded to Allen Rozman, former Lucent engineer, and Alfonso J. Cioffi. Rozman died back in 2012, but Cioffi decided to take Google to court in 2013.
The case was dismissed back in 2014 by US District Judge Gilstrap. Then, plaintiffs acknowledged that under the judge’s interpretation of “web browser process”, an infringement claim wouldn’t hold up. But the case was not close by a long shot because Cioffi and Rozman’s family decided to file an appeal, Law360 reports.
The Federal Court decided that Judge Gilstrap’s decision was erroneous due to his interpretation of the words “web browser process.” Under the original interpretation, a web browser process had to be capable of accessing a website without using another web browser process. That meant that a component of Google Chrome accused of infringing the patents couldn’t meet the limitation set by the definition.
“We see nothing that indicates that Cioffi intended its invention to do anything other than protect ‘critical files’ as that concept is widely understood by those of skill in the art,” the Federal Circuit court wrote in the decision.
The fight may not be over yet
Google has appealed to the US Supreme Court to hear the case, but the request was declined. Google, however, is optimistic and is currently evaluating its options, saying it remains confident that the patents are invalid and that Chrome does not infringe.
Google has had a pretty good record of winning patent trials, but it seems that this time luck wasn’t on its side. Whether the company will do more to fight against the $20 million in damages it has to pay the plaintiffs remains to be seen. The money covers the last four years of the patent, but the royalty will apply to the next nine years until the patent expires, which puts the total sum the plaintiffs could get rise to $65 million.
Source: http://news.softpedia.com/news/google-ch...2892.shtml