Part of a year-old jury verdict was reversed last week when the technology patent lawsuit between InterDigital Communications Corp. and Motorola Inc. was revisited in U.S. District Court.
However, the victory for Motorola, and ultimately for L.M. Ericsson as well, was upheld.
The case began in 1993, when Motorola and InterDigital filed lawsuits against each other over Time Division Multiple Access technology used for digital cellular. InterDigital believed that Motorola was infringing on numerous portions of its TDMA patent.
Motorola claimed that InterDigital didn’t invent digital cellular and there was no patent infringement. Motorola products covered in the lawsuit included subscriber and infrastructure units made in the United States for Japan, the Integrated Dispatch Enhanced Network system, Global System for Mobile communications products and other U.S. digital products.
The case went to trial in March of 1995 in Delaware. The jury heard 17 days of arguments then deliberated for four days before returning a two-pronged verdict: InterDigital’s numerous claims on a TDMA patent were not valid, and Motorola had not infringed.
Numerous motions were filed immediately following the trial: InterDigital believed there had been a mistrial; Motorola wanted attorney fees paid.
Last week Judge Joseph Longobardi examined the case and ruled that three claims regarding the InterDigital patent were valid, but he upheld the jury decision that all other claims were invalid. And again, Motorola was found not to infringe.
To InterDigital, the news was good and bad.
“We continue to believe that there are substantial grounds for the reversal of the jury verdict in total or for the grant of a new trial,” said William A. Doyle, InterDigital president.
Illinois-based Motorola was pleased, saying “Motorola expects that the jury verdict and Judge Longobardi’s well-reasoned opinion will withstand the appeal that InterDigital is expected to file.” InterDigital said it will take its case to the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals.
Ericsson said Motorola’s victory had been Ericsson’s as well. Ericsson also has been fighting InterDigital’s claim to TDMA technology, filing a lawsuit against InterDigital in 1993 to get relief from InterDigital’s claims of infringement.
The judge denied Motorola’s request for attorney fees.
