Western Digital, a major player in data storage, faces a staggering $315.7 million penalty after a jury ruled that the company infringed on a data security patent. This decision came down on Friday in a federal court in California.
The Patent Dispute Explained
The jury found that several of Western Digital’s self-encrypting hard drives violated a patent owned by SPEX Technologies. This patent covers important data encryption technology. SPEX initially filed the lawsuit back in 2016 after acquiring the patent from Spyrus, a company known for its work in cryptography.
SPEX’s lead attorney, Marc Fenster, expressed satisfaction with the verdict, stating it validated the efforts of Sue Pontius, Spyrus’s co-founder, who developed the technology.
Western Digital’s Response
Western Digital disagrees with the jury’s decision. A spokesperson for the company announced plans to challenge the ruling through post-trial motions and potentially an appeal. The lawsuit specifically pointed to Western Digital products like Ultrastar, My Book, and My Passport as infringing on the patent, a claim the company denies.
A Pattern of Legal Issues
This isn’t the first time Western Digital has faced legal trouble over patents. Earlier in July, another jury found the company liable for over $262 million to a different firm regarding patents related to increasing hard drive storage capacity.
What’s Next for Western Digital?
As the company prepares to contest the latest ruling, it remains to be seen how this will impact its business and reputation in the competitive data storage industry.
I am Aparna Sahu
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