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March 22, 2023 by Masha Abarinova [FierceVideo]
A Utah federal judge has struck down a $469 million patent infringement verdict against Dish Network.
The plaintiff, parental control service ClearPlay, had claimed Dish’s Autohop technology, which allows consumers to skip commercials on Dish’s Hopper DVR, infringed on two patents. EchoStar, the manufacturer of set top boxes containing the feature, is also a defendant in the lawsuit, which was filed in 2014.
The court’s decision comes just over a week after a civil jury unanimously ruled in favor of ClearPlay, imposing the original verdict for damages, and Dish filed a motion challenging the outcome. The jury also determined Dish did not intentionally infringe on ClearPlay’s patents.
U.S. District Judge David Nutter, who is overseeing the case, informed Dish and ClearPlay of the reversal on a Tuesday Zoom conference. Nutter gave an oral ruling stating ClearPlay doesn’t have sufficient evidence to make a claim for infringement.
“Because the methods of the Accused Products do not practice the Asserted Claims of the 970 and 799 Patents and do not directly infringe the Asserted Claims, ClearPlay’s claims for literal infringement, infringement under the doctrine of equivalents, induced infringement, and willful infringement fail as a matter of law,” said the court docket.
For Dish’s part, the company issued a statement saying it “has stood firm in its belief that it did not infringe ClearPlay’s patents, and is gratified by the Court’s ruling.”
Read more on FierceVideo...
A Utah federal judge has struck down a $469 million patent infringement verdict against Dish Network.
The plaintiff, parental control service ClearPlay, had claimed Dish’s Autohop technology, which allows consumers to skip commercials on Dish’s Hopper DVR, infringed on two patents. EchoStar, the manufacturer of set top boxes containing the feature, is also a defendant in the lawsuit, which was filed in 2014.
The court’s decision comes just over a week after a civil jury unanimously ruled in favor of ClearPlay, imposing the original verdict for damages, and Dish filed a motion challenging the outcome. The jury also determined Dish did not intentionally infringe on ClearPlay’s patents.
U.S. District Judge David Nutter, who is overseeing the case, informed Dish and ClearPlay of the reversal on a Tuesday Zoom conference. Nutter gave an oral ruling stating ClearPlay doesn’t have sufficient evidence to make a claim for infringement.
“Because the methods of the Accused Products do not practice the Asserted Claims of the 970 and 799 Patents and do not directly infringe the Asserted Claims, ClearPlay’s claims for literal infringement, infringement under the doctrine of equivalents, induced infringement, and willful infringement fail as a matter of law,” said the court docket.
For Dish’s part, the company issued a statement saying it “has stood firm in its belief that it did not infringe ClearPlay’s patents, and is gratified by the Court’s ruling.”
Read more on FierceVideo...