DataTern is a prime example. It has filed multiple lawsuits against dozens of customers of Microsoft’s and SAP’s software products. These included such high profile companies as Comcast Corp., Harley-Davidson Inc., Chevron USA Inc. and PepsiCo Inc..
In 2009 DataTern began filing actions in Texas district court. As part of its case, the company submitted claim charts alleging infringement based on Microsoft’s ADO.NET and SAP’s BusinessObjects software. Unsurprisingly, given the fact that the cost of defending a patent case through trial is approximately $2 million, several of the customers demanded that Microsoft and SAP indemnify them.
