Mises Wire

Patent Damages

Patent Damages

Is that a verb or a noun? Some recent examples:

As of March 2003, the top 5 patent infringement damage awards ranged from $873 million (Polaroid v. Kodak, 1991) to $204.8 million (Hughes Tool v. Smith International, 1986). The top 5 patent settlements ranged from $1 billion to $300 million. Damage Awards and Settlements, IP Today (March 2003); see also Gregory Aharonian, Patent/copyright infringement lawsuits/licensing awards. Sadly, a $200 million verdict seems normal nowadays. The recent $156 million patent infringement verdict against AT&T, for example—which could possibly be trebled by the judge—now looks like small potatoes.

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