Russ August & Kabat attorneys Marc Fenster, Reza Mirzaie, Ben Wang, Adam Hoffman, Neil Rubin, James Pickens and Jacob Buczko won a jury verdict for their client, Core Wireless, against Apple for the infringement of two Core Wireless patents. The patents are part of a portfolio of Nokia patents relating to fundamental cellular technology.
The jury agreed that Apple’s iPhones and iPads were infringing both asserted patents, and rejected Apple’s invalidity arguments. The jury awarded $7.3M in damages.
Notably, the jury verdict represents the first multi-million dollar jury award against Apple in the Northern District of California, where Apple resides.
The patents asserted in the trial against Apple are U.S. Patent No. 6,477,151, which relates to an improved protocol for resolving propagation delay and U.S. Patent No. 6,633,536, which relates to an improved signaling protocol designed to improve network operation and call reliability.
The verdict vindicates years of licensing efforts by Core Wireless and its parent company, Conversant Intellectual Property Management, Inc. Following the favorable verdict, Conversant CEO John Lindgren commented: “We are incredibly pleased with the persuasive way the RAK trial team tried the case. They faced a formidable opponent in Apple and WilmerHale LLP. But once again, Marc Fenster’s top-rate skill as lead counsel — along with the persuasive trial presentations by every other member of the RAK trial team — enabled the jurors to understand the key issues and decisively find in our favor. The jury verdict is another great and just result for our company – the second one earned by RAK for Core Wireless this year.”
This win follows an earlier jury verdict for Core Wireless that RAK won against LG and their attorneys at Sidley Austin LLP. In September 2016, the RAK team won a verdict that LG had willfully infringed two Core Wireless patents. That resulting judgment was later enhanced by the Eastern District of Texas Court—the first enhancement decision ever in a case involving standards-essential patents.
The cases are: Core Wireless Licensing S.A.R.L. v. Apple, Inc., Case No. 5:15-cv-05008-NC and Core Wireless Licensing S.A.R.L. v. LG Electronics, Inc., Case No. 2:12-cv-912.