Adobe has been ordered by a court in Delaware to pay almost $33.8 million to a company called ViaTech Technologies over patent infringement. ViaTech brought the case to court in 2019 and it appears to be concluded, for now.
The company accused Adobe of infringing one of its patents related to the mechanism by which it licenses its Adobe Creative Cloud software to its customers. It appears, as though the jury sides with ViaTech.
According to court documents, the jury agreed with ViaTech Technologies. They said that Adobe’s technology for activating licensed copies of software like Acrobat and Photoshop violates ViaTech’s patent rights.
I can’t find out much about exactly who ViaTech Technologies is on the web. There are several with similar names but the only one I can confirm to be the same company is another patent infringement claim by ViaTech against Microsoft in 2016/17.
But after the verdict, ViaTech attorneys issued a statement.
We are thrilled that the jury recognized the value of ViaTech’s innovations.
ViaTech attorney Denise De Mory
Adobe, naturally, weren’t quite so celebratory. An Adobe spokesperson told Reuters that the company was disappointed and that it “takes the integrity of the patent system seriously”. They also said they will be “exploring all post-trial and appellate options”.
So, this whole thing might not be over quite yet.
[via Reuters]
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