Finnegan secures jury verdict for Philips in CD-Disc patent dispute

A jury in the Southern District of New York found five defendants liable for infringing Finnegan clients Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. and U.S. Philips’ valid patent related to the basic structure for optical storage media devices, or CD-Discs.  Each of the defendants had signed a contract with Philips to license the pool of patents covering CD-Disc technology.  Philips filed a breach of contract and patent infringement suit against the defendants when they stopped paying royalties while continuing to manufacture discs.  The jury victory followed Philips’ successful motions for summary judgment relating to various breach of contract and patent issues.  A damages trial will follow.