Western Digital Faces $310 Million Loss in Patent Infringement Lawsuit
In a significant legal development, Western Digital has been ordered by a California federal jury to pay $315.7 million in damages for infringing on a patent related to data encryption technology. The ruling comes as a result of a lawsuit filed by SPEX Technologies, accusing Western Digital of unauthorized use of their patented technology.
Origin of the Patents
The patents at the center of this lawsuit were originally developed by Spyrus, a company known for its innovations in cryptographic solutions. SPEX Technologies later acquired these patents. The technologies in question are closely associated with data encryption methods used in early PCMCIA and Compact Flash devices.
Specific Patents Involved
The lawsuit pertains specifically to two patents, US6088802A and US6003135A, both filed in 1997. These patents outline systems enabling peripheral devices to interact with host computing systems to conduct security operations on stored data. Although these patents expired in 2017, SPEX Technologies filed the litigation prior to their expiration, making it a valid legal pursuit.
Affected Products
Western Digital's alleged infringement involves several of their self-encrypting storage devices. The lawsuit identifies popular products such as the Ultrastar, My Book, and My Passport lines as infringing on the SPEX Technologies patents.
Legal History and Western Digital’s Response
SPEX Technologies initiated the legal action against Western Digital in 2016, marking the beginning of this protracted legal battle. Despite the recent ruling, Western Digital has consistently denied allegations of patent infringement. The company has voiced strong disagreement with the jury's verdict and has indicated its intent to challenge the decision through post-trial motions, with a readiness to appeal if necessary.
Previous Legal Issues
This recent ruling isn't the first instance where Western Digital has faced legal challenges over patent infringements. Earlier in July, another jury in the same California court determined that Western Digital owed over $262 million for infringing patents tied to technologies aimed at enhancing hard drive storage capacity.
These consecutive legal setbacks underscore ongoing challenges for Western Digital, highlighting the complex interplay between innovation, patent rights, and commercial competition in the tech industry.
Logics Technology Online Shop