To the dismay of Personal Audio LLC’s critics, jurors in East Texas reached a verdict on Monday that the nonpracticing entity’s much-maligned podcasting patent is valid and infringed by CBS Corporation. The IP licensing company didn’t get everything it wanted, and its patent could still get killed off in months to come. But Personal Audio and its lawyers showed they know how to sway a jury, giving the company leverage in any settlement talks.
The Marshall, Texas, jury concluded that all four claims at issue in the podcasting patent are valid. The jury also ordered CBS to pay $1.3 million in damages—far less than the $8 million Personal Audio was seeking, according to Joe Mullin of Ars Technica.
