Facts

Convolve Inc. filed a patent infringement suit against Dell Inc., Western Digital Corp., Hitachi Global Storage Technologies Inc., and Hitachi Ltd. The lawsuit related to a patented system for improving hard disk drive performance by reducing vibration, and accused the defendants' implementation of the AAM standard for acoustic management as infringing.

PLAINTIFF'S CONTENTIONS:
Plaintiff claimed that defendants willfully infringed and contributed to infringement of six different patent claims for the reduction of vibrations in hard drives.

DEFENDANTS' CONTENTIONS:
Defendants argued that the patents were not valid and the hard drives and computer were not infringing.

Damages

Plaintiff sought $200 million.

Result

After initially deadlocking on liability, the jury awarded plaintiff $5.4 million ($2.5 million Western Digital; $1.5 million Dell; $1.4 million Hitachi).