Another win for Apple as a federal judge in Texas threw out a $625 million verdict against the company for allegedly infringing on three Mirror Worlds patents. The sum was awarded to Mirror Worlds by a jury last October, $208 million for each patent that Apple was accused of infringing: Coverflow, Spotlight and Time Machine.
However, the judge overturned it, stating, “Mirror Worlds may have painted an appealing picture for the jury, but it failed to lay a solid foundation sufficient to support important elements it was required to establish under the law.”
It’s tough to say whether Mirror Worlds was truly defending its intellectual property, or seeking to making a dollar from Apple without ever planning to use its technologies in any products. That’s really the problem with patent litigation these days — you know never know who’s deserving of a case and who’s just squatting on patents and trolling those who use them either without knowing or permission.
It’s good news for Apple, however, since it won’t have to pay up for the use of its technologies, most of which make its operating systems distinguished compared to others.
MobileMedia also notes the following regarding Mirror Worlds:
New Haven, Conn.-based Mirror Worlds was founded by Yale University computer science professor David Gelernter, who was the target of a mail bomb by Theodore Kaczynski, known as the Unabomber, in 1993.
Interesting stuff!
[Via: Mobile Media]