Source: Reuters

Last July, a federal jury in Waco, Texas, decided that Google violated a software developer’s patent rights with its remote streaming technology and shall pay $338.7 million for damages.

According to media reports and court filings, the jury found that Chromecast and other devices infringed the patents of Touchstream Technologies, which offer similar technologies that enable wireless transmission of content from a mobile device to a second screen.

It is worth mentioning that the infringement alleged by Touchstream initiated in December 2011, after the two companies discussed a possible partnership involving the technology in question. During that meeting, Touchstream informed Google that its patents’ proceedings were pending of resolution.

However, just two months later, in February 2012, Google informed Touchstream that it no longer wanted to move forward with any business partnership that included the foundry technology, although Google subsequently launched its Chromecast product in July 2013.

Under this scenario, Touchstream claimed that Google’s Chromecast copied its innovations and infringed three of its patents (U.S. Patent Nos. 8,904,289, 8,356,251 and 8,782,528). Meanwhile, Google denied infringing Touchstream’s rights and argued that the patents are invalid.

Meanwhile, Google spokesman, José Castañeda, said that the company will appeal the verdict and that “Google has always developed technology independently and has competed on the merits of its ideas”. On the other hand, Touchstream’s lawyer, Ryan Dykal, emphasized that the company was pleased with the verdict.