A jury in Delaware has ruled today that devices made by Motorola Mobility violated a patent having to do with multimedia messaging owned by Intellectual Ventures. It’s rough news for Motorola Mobility, the Android smartphone and tablet maker that was acquired last year by Lenovo. Damages in the case will be determined at a later date.
“We are encouraged by today’s verdict and thank the jury for their hard work and careful considerations of these important issues,” Melissa Finocchio, IV’s chief litigation counsel, said in a statement. “As we look ahead to the next trial, we remain committed to defending inventor rights and protecting the interests of our investors and customers.”
The decision comes a year after a trial on other patents was ruled a mistrial after the jury in that case could not come to a verdict. It wasn’t a complete win for the Bellevue-based company, however. The jury also ruled that one of the patents at issue is invalid, and so Motorola could not have infringed on it.
Litigation between the two companies isn’t over any time soon, either. A trial on the patent that the jury couldn’t rule on is slated to begin tomorrow in Delaware, and Intellectual Ventures has another outstanding case against Motorola Mobility in Florida which has been on hold because of a stay.
