Halo Shines Bright In D. Mass.

A recent order from the District of Massachusetts sheds light on how the Supreme Court's June 2016 decision in Halo Electronics v. Pulse Electronics is being interpreted by the district courts. The Memorandum and Order by Chief Judge Patti B. Saris denied a request for enhanced damages by plaintiff, Trustees of Boston University ("BU").

BU moved for enhanced damages after a jury found that defendants Everlight Electronics Co., Ltd. ("Everlight"), Epistar Corporation ("Epistar"), and Lite-On Inc. ("Lite-On") infringed U.S. Patent No. 5,686,738 (the "'738 patent"), titled "Highly Insulating Monocrystalline Gallium Nitride This Films." The jury also found that Epistar induced both Everlight and Lite-On's infringement, and that both Epistar's and Everlight's infringement was willful.