The patent holding company SimpleAir has been awarded US$85 million in its infringement fight against Google. The company won its case in U.S. District Court in Eastern Texas -- a court that's known for favoring patent trolls.
SimpleAir scores patent infringement win against Google's Android OS
The patent that earned Google a bill for $85 million in damages, 7,035,914, covers the delivery and processing of notifications and other content. The money was awarded as part of a damages trial following a jury trial that ended in January.
Google argued it shouldn't have to pay more than $6 million, and that past infringement shouldn't be included. SimpleAir felt Google should pay much more and pushed for $146 million.
The $85 million SimpleAir was awarded covers past infringement. The court still needs to decide how much Google owes for current and ongoing infringement.
SimpleAir isn't any stranger to this court, and this isn't the first time it has targeted companies with this patent. Apple, along with Facebook, Walt Disney Co., BlackBerry, and several other companies settled infringement claims over the same patent in the same court in May 2012. The company has also targeted Microsoft, Motorola, Samsung and Nokia.
While there are questions as to whether or not Google's Android OS infringes on patents other companies hold -- including Apple -- it's unfortunate to see a patent troll as the winner.