Round Rock Research, the patent licensing company founded by former Kirkland & Ellis partner John Desmarais, netted a confidential settlement last week with longtime target ASUSTeK Computer Inc. The settlement follows three years of litigation and what seems to have been a particularly contentious discovery process.
Round Rock and Asus disclosed the settlement to U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar in San Francisco on April 28. It resolves a 2011 declaratory judgment action in which Asus sought to invalidate 10 Round Rock patents, as well as a follow-up 2012 suit in which Asus sought to knock out another six Round Rock patents. Round Rock also brought infringement counterclaims in both suits, which concerned patents relating to computer hardware components.
