Facts

Plaintiff, Informatica Corp., was a leading provider of data integration software, including extract, transform, and load (ETL) software. Informatica held patents from the U.S. Patent Office for a reusable, context independent database for a target data warehouse data transformation process. Their data transformation process patents included U.S. Patent No. 6,339,775 (patent '775) and 6,014,670 (patent '670). Both patents concerned a feature that allowed the ETL software to transfer data independent of the source or data warehouse.

PLAINTIFF'S CONTENTIONS:
Informatica argued that Business Objects Data Integration Inc. (Business Objects) willfully infringed on patents '775 and '670 in the design and manufacturing of its product, entitled Data Integrator. Informatica claimed the technology in Data Integrator was identical to Informatica's two patents.

DEFENDANT'S CONTENTIONS:
Business Objects refuted claims that they infringed Informatica's patents because it argued Data Integrator did not use the patented processes. Business Objects also claimed the two patents were invalid because the technology had already been established before Informatica had even been awarded their patents, making them obvious or anticipated based on prior art products.

Damages

Informatica sought reasonable royalty damages of $25,000 per copy of Data Integrator Software that Business Objects had sold. Informatica also sought a percentage of the annual software maintenance fee Business Objects charged as well. Informatica's damages expert, Vincent O'Brien, testified that a fair and reasonable royalty would be $42.9 million. Business Objects claimed the royalty damages sought were excessive. Defendant claimed that if it were determined that it was liable, which it disputed, a more appropriate and reasonable damage award would be in the neighborhood of $1.6 million.

Result

The jury found Business Object willfully infringed on Informatica's patents and awarded them a reasonable royalty in the amount of $25,240,000.

Deliberation

eight hours

Poll

8-0