Cisco has been ordered to pay USD 1.9 billion to Centripetal Networks for copying its cybersecurity patents, Reuters reported. A US district judge in Norfolk, Virginia made the ruling, saying Cisco was found to have infringed four patents belonging to Centripetal Networks, also based in Virginia. The judge did not find infringement of a fifth patent.
The payout includes an USD 1.89 billion award, multiplying the actual damages sustained by Centripetal by 2.5 to USD 755.8 million, reflecting Cisco’s “willful and egregious” conduct, plus prejudgement interest, the judge said. “Cisco did not advance any objectively reasonable defenses at trial” as to the four patents, the judge wrote.
Cisco said it was disappointed with the decision, “given the substantial evidence of non-infringement, invalidity and that Cisco’s innovations predate the patents by many years.” The company plans to appeal the ruling.
Centripetal was founded in 2009 and focuses on using threat intelligence software and firewall hardware to protect cyber networks.
