Texas federal jury awarded plaintiffs a $20 million in damage claims from Google. The jury found Google has infringed patents in three of the malware protection software owned by the plaintiffs.
According to Law 360, the jury’s verdict on Friday, Feb. 10, will make Google to pay $20 million in damage claims. The payment will be made for copyright infringement of malware protection software made by Alfonso Cioffi and his business partner Allen Frank Rozman.
Prior to the decision, Judge Rodney Gilstrap from the U.S. District Court of Eastern Texas dismissed the case in 2014. The plaintiffs filed an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
A year later, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reversed the judge ruling and sending the case back to Judge Gilstrap. The Court of Appeals found that Judge Gilstrap misinterpreted the key patent term in the case.
The plaintiffs are Cioffi, the inventor of the software and Rozman, represented by his family. The trial began on Monday, Feb. 6, Reuters reported. In the trial, plaintiffs complained that Google had infringed their patents of anti malware software in Google Chrome web browser.
Plaintiffs alleged Google use the same manner to detect malicious software in the anti malware software installed in Chrome web browser. On the other hand, Google argued that Cioffi and Rozman patents are too vague, because the terms they use in patent documents are too ambiguous. Therefore, patent infringement lawsuit for the case is not acceptable.
Jury disagreed with Google and awarded Cioffi and Rozman a $20 million damage claims. The plaintiffs were represented by attorney Robert Bunt of Parker Bunt & Ainsworth and Eric Benisek of Vasquez Benisek & Lindgren. While Google was represented by Darin Snyder from the O'Melveny & Myers lawfirm and Stephanie Skaff of Farella Braun & Martel.
Watch the malware detection mechanism in Google Chrome which was sued for similar manner with he Cioffi-Rozman software below:
