A PYMNTS Company

Canada/US: Defendants win battle against patent troll war in

By  |  July 17, 2013

Canada-based patent licensing firm, known as a ‘patent-troll,’ Wi-Lan lost its lawsuit against various technology giants after suing the defendants in 2010 for use of its data transmission patent; the loss was a major blow in the war against patent trolls that has heated up within the US in recent months. According to reports, Wi-Lan has filed several patent lawsuits, most notable in 2007 against 22 firms using its Wi-Fi patents and then in 2010 for patents concerning mobile phones as well as cable modems. The defendants in the mobile phone case – which included HTC, Sony, Ericsson and Alcatel-Lucent – decided to stay the course in court. The jury’s ruling against Wi-Lan resulted in a loss of one-third the company’s stock value. The verdict, announced Monday, found that some of the patents were invalid because they were “obvious” or anticipated earlier by other companies; none of Wi-Lans’ patents were found to have been infringed in the case.

    Get the Full Story

    Complete the form to unlock this article and enjoy unlimited free access to all PYMNTS content — no additional logins required.

    yesSubscribe to our daily newsletter, PYMNTS Today.

    By completing this form, you agree to receive marketing communications from PYMNTS and to the sharing of your information with our sponsor, if applicable, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions.

    Full Content: Ars Technica

    We’d love to be your preferred source for news.

    Please add us to your preferred sources list so our news, data and interviews show up in your feed. Thanks!

    Add as Preferred Source

    Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.