Patent Enforcement Company Slams Apple with $22M Verdict After East Texas Trial
Acacia Research Corp., the largest publicly traded patent-assertion entity, won a $22.1 million verdict against Apple, reports Ars Technica.
An East Texas jury found that Apple infringed US Patent No. 8,055,820, owned by Acacia subsidiary Cellular Communications Equipment LLC. Reporter Joe Mullin writes that the patent describes a method of how cell phones can use “buffer status reporting” so that phone networks can optimize data usage. The patent originated at Nokia, which sold the patent to Acacia in 2013.
Acacia, in the class of companies that critics refer to as “patent trolls,” buys patents from others, splits the proceeds from litigation with the original patent owner. Acacia-related entities have filed hundreds of lawsuits.
“The company used to advertise a 50/50 split with patent owners and inventors, but its specific arrangement with Nokia is unknown,” according to the report. “The verdict, reached last week, is a validation of Acacia’s increasing interest, announced a few years back, in buying portfolios of patents from large companies, rather than individual inventors.”
