Last week, a US jury found that Kioxia infringed a Viasat patent covering flash memory error-correction technology. The jury found that Kioxia infringed claim 16 of US Patent No. 8,615,700, which resulted in them awarding Viasat $229 million in damages, calculated as a running royalty for past infringement.
This case is a critical reminder that patents are about much more than preventing others from copying an invention and protecting years of research and development, as they can also be used as valuable commercial assets. A patent and its underlying technology can also be licensed to generate royalty income, strengthen a company's negotiating position, increase its overall valuation, and create value for many years after the technology is developed.
