It's not a jury verdict, but it is eight digits long and comes from East Texas. On Friday, it was announced that German software company SAP agreed to pay $83.3 million to settle patent infringement claims brought against it by supply-chain consultants i2 Technologies Inc.
Dallas-based i2 filed this case in the Eastern District of Texas (Marshall) in September 2006, asserting seven patents were infringed by SAP. In August 2007, SAP hit back, firing off its own patent suit against i2 in Northern California (Oakland). Doesn't look like that case went too far, and it has also been stayed pending this settlement.
i2 Technologies' revenues have steadily declined over the last several years. For 2007, i2 Technologies reported a $17.7 million net profit on $260 million of revenue. The company has about 1,300 employees. [10-K] The much larger SAP reported a €1.94 billion net profit on €10.25 billion in revenue. [6-K]
The case was i2 Technologies US, Inc. et al v. SAP AG et al., 06-cv-00352, E.D. Texas. It was slated to go to a jury in November of this year, in Judge T. John Ward's court.
i2 Technologies was represented by McKool Smith in this litigation; SAP hired Finnegan Henderson.
This settlement is clearly no fun, but the more worrisome litigation for SAP is surely not a patent lawsuit but competitor Oracle's allegations of "corporate theft on a grand scale." Oracle says its damages in that case are likely to be $1 billion, reports MarketWatch.
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