Slash LaneLast week it was revealed that Mirror Worlds LLC won a lawsuit filed in 2008 that accused Apple of infringing on three patents it owns. The patent holder was awarded $625.5 million by a jury in a Tyler County Court in Eastern Texas.
But according to Bloomberg, Apple has asked the court for an emergency stay from the ruling, arguing that Mirror Worlds would be "triple dipping" in collecting $208.5 million on each of the patents. Apple is attempting to convince the court that there are outstanding issues with two of the patents.
Presiding over the case, U.S. District Judge Leonard Davis has asked the lawyers on each side to submit legal arguments on the damages awarded by the Tyler County jury. Apple called an assertion by Mirror Worlds that the damages should be cumulative "erroneous and objectionable."
Apple has also requested that the court find Apple is not infringing on two of the patents. Judge Davis reportedly said if he granted Apple's request, he would strike the amount of damages attributed to those two patents.
The lawsuit accused Apple of infringing on patents for creating "streams" of documents sorted by time. The patents were originally filed for by Yale professor David Gelernter in 1999, who said he believes Apple's Spotlight, Time Machine and Cover Flow features were taken from his ideas on "lifesreaming."
William Gallagher
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Daniel Eran Dilger
51 Comments
Does that really say $625 million?
That seems huge and excessive. The lawyers must be celebrating right now, they're making enough to retire off of.
Does that really say $625 million?
That seems huge and excessive. The lawyers must be celebrating right now, they're making enough to retire off of.
Right. if it was the other way around there would be dancing in the streets. I hope this verdict sticks. No one is above the law.
Right. if it was the other way around there would be dancing in the streets. I hope this verdict sticks. No one is above the law.
You must not follow these East Texas patent trials very closely. Or other information relating to how Apple acquired Cover Flow.
$625 Million? Apple might as well just spill hot coffee on them.
Software patent violation for $625M.. I think that is really excessive. Two of these patents are on how something is displayed, is questionable, and something not worth 9 figures. Apple will probably end up paying 100-200..