Jury Finds CBS Infringed Podcast Patent

Loses Case

The "patent troll" suing several networks over its alleged patent on distributing podcasts has won $1.3 million from CBS in a jury trial in the plaintiff-friendly EAST TEXAS federal court.

ARS TECHNICA reports that PERSONAL AUDIO LLC, which recently settled with ADAM CAROLLA after trying to dismiss its own suit because it had determined podcasters do not make much money on their shows, was awarded significantly less than the $7.8 million it sought, according to an ARS TECHNICA source, and less than the likely legal expenses incurred by the plaintiff.

CBS has challenged the patents as invalid; the jury rejected the defense, but the patents remain under challenge by the ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION and will be subject to a hearing later this year.  PERSONAL AUDIO is also suing NBC and FOX over the distribution of "episodic content" over the Internet using a "compilation file."

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