Facebook parent company, Meta, has been ordered by a jury in Texas Federal court to pay $175 million to walkie-talkie app maker, Voxer, for violation of its patent.
Voxer filed a lawsuit in 2020, where it accused Meta of violating its patents and incorporating its streaming technologies into its Facebook and Instagram live.
Voxer launched the Walkie-Talkie app in 2011, after which it was approached by Facebook about a potential collaboration.
By 2012, Voxer went ahead to share its patent portfolio and proprietary technology with Facebook, but when early meetings failed to result in an agreement, Facebook identified Voxer as a competitor.
According to the document filed in the court, Facebook had no live video or voice product at this time.
The social media giant company then went ahead to revoke Voxer’s access to key components of the Facebook platform, together with eradicating entry to the Discover Buddies” characteristic.
The lawsuit additionally states that the founder and Chairman of Voxer, Tom Katis had met with a senior product supervisor at Facebook to discuss about Meta’s infringement of Voxer’s patents, which was declined by the company, refusing a settlement with Voxer relating to its continuous use of its patent.
The jury at the Texas federal court discovered that both Facebook and Instagram Live, launched in 2015, and 2016 respectively incorporated Voxer’s technologies and infringed two of its patents.
After much deliberation from the court, the jury concluded that Meta infringed two patents held by Voxer, and therefore awarded Voxer $175 million in damages.
Following this judgment, a Meta spokesperson disputed the claims filed in the lawsuit by Voxer, arguing that the proof introduced in the trial confirmed that Meta didn’t infringe on Voxer’s patents.
Meta’s spokesperson said, “We consider the proof at trial demonstrated that Meta didn’t infringe Voxer’s patents. We intend to hunt additional reduction, together with submitting an attraction.”