A Western District of Texas jury delivered a substantial blow to Cisco Systems, rendering a $65.7 million verdict on Thursday for directly infringing Paltalk’s patent related to hybrid audio servers. The jury found that Cisco not only infringed but also failed to demonstrate the invalidity of specific patent claims.
Cisco $65.7M Verdict : Trial Overview and Verdict
The high-stakes trial spanned nearly a week, commencing on Monday and culminating the day after Cisco’s unsuccessful attempt to secure a mistrial. U.S. District Judge Alan Albright denied Cisco’s motion, which sought to declare a mistrial based on alleged changes in judicial guidance concerning the interpretation of the claim term “each.” The jury concluded that “each” should be understood in its plain and ordinary meaning, encompassing “one or more.”
Paltalk’s legal team, represented by Susman Godfrey attorneys Max Tribble and Kalpana Srinivasan, expressed elation on Friday. “We are thrilled to have achieved this result for Paltalk, our client of nearly 20 years,” they stated. Cisco’s counsel has yet to respond to the verdict.
Legal Proceedings and Arguments
Paltalk Holdings Inc., known for its video chat platforms Paltalk and Camfrog, initiated the lawsuit in late July 2021, accusing Cisco of infringing on its patent titled “Hybrid server architecture for mixing and non-mixing client conferencing.” The infringement allegation specifically targeted Cisco’s Webex products.
