RealNetworks Welcomes Court Ruling On Patent Infringement

by Glen Shapiro, LawAndTax-News.com, New York

19 April 2006

RealNetworks announced last Friday that it has prevailed in a patent infringement lawsuit brought against it by Ethos Technologies, Inc.

Last week, following a four-week trial in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts, a jury rendered a unanimous verdict finding that RealNetworks does not infringe on any of the 10 patent claims asserted by Ethos. Additionally, the jury invalidated 7 of the 10 claims in both patents. Ethos had sought over $200 million in damages.

The verdict resolves a legal battle first initiated by Ethos Technologies in September 2000. The lawsuit in question pertains only to certain minor RealNetworks products, including RealDownload Express and RealDownload, the latter of which the company has not distributed for several years.

"We are very pleased with the results of today's ruling," stated Robert Kimball, Senior Vice President and General Counsel for RealNetworks, adding that:

"Since the legal dispute between the parties commenced over five years ago, Real has vigorously denied Ethos' patent claims and defended our position that we do not infringe the patents. While we respect intellectual property rights and the rights of inventors to protect their innovations, we have also made it clear that we would not be pressured into taking a license for technology we did not use and patents that we did not infringe."

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