A Colorado federal judge has denied Dish Network LLC’s request for attorney fees, marking a reversal from an earlier ruling that awarded the company $3.9 million after it was cleared of patent infringement claims brought by Realtime Adaptive Streaming LLC.
U.S. District Judge R. Brooke Jackson ruled Wednesday that while Realtime’s case was weak, Dish Network’s $3.9M award nixing was warranted because the claims were not “exceptionally meritless” enough to justify fee-shifting. The decision follows a Federal Circuit ruling that found Judge Jackson initially erred in awarding Dish legal fees, leading to a remand for reconsideration.
Dish Network’s Award Nixed After Federal Circuit Reversal
The legal battle dates back to 2017, when Realtime sued Dish Network entities Sling TV LLC, Sling Media LLC, Echostar Technologies LLC, and Dish Technologies LLC, alleging that they had infringed patents related to digital file compression technology.
Judge Jackson ultimately invalidated Realtime’s patent, ruling that it merely covered abstract ideas related to data compression. At the time, he deemed the case “exceptional” and granted Dish’s request for attorney fees, reasoning that Realtime had ignored clear warnings that its claims were likely invalid.
