Patent Hoarder Caught Shuffling Patents Around Has To Pay $4 Million

from the hoarding-doesn't-always-pay dept

You may recall earlier this month that we wrote about Erich Spangenberg, who had set up a series of shell corporations for patent hoarding (and suing). Unfortunately, it appears he got greedy after a big win against DaimlerChrysler. As part of that settlement, he agreed not to sue the automaker again over the same issues -- but by using the various shell corporations, he had a different shell sue Daimler. Daimler saw this as a violation of the settlement and sued back. Now comes the news that Spangenberg has lost and has to pay nearly $4 million in legal fees to Daimler. It's good to see courts finally pushing back on some of the overreaching by patent holders.
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Filed Under: erich spangenberg, patents, shell companies
Companies: daimlerchrysler, plutus ip


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  1. identicon
    Serves em right, 23 Jun 2008 @ 5:06am

    Will this discourage the practise ?

    2.3 - 4 = -1.7

    Ha Ha

    link to this | view in thread ]

  2. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 23 Jun 2008 @ 5:30am

    Yessssss!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  3. identicon
    ehrichweiss, 23 Jun 2008 @ 6:15am

    Somehow I bet that we're still going to hear from angry chick, err, dude about how the American people are ruining the great patent system that almost awarded him his almost patent(s).

    link to this | view in thread ]

  4. identicon
    Willton, 23 Jun 2008 @ 6:31am

    Wrong issue

    This is not about overreaching patent holders; this is about a litigant breaching the terms of his settlement. He deserves to get punished as such.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  5. identicon
    eleete, 23 Jun 2008 @ 6:59am

    The Patent

    Is the patent still intact though ? He can simply sue Ford or Chevy to get the $$
    Yep It's still a broken system then.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  6. identicon
    bored, 23 Jun 2008 @ 7:06am

    About damn time.

    link to this | view in thread ]

  7. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 23 Jun 2008 @ 11:13am

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA

    HA!!!!!!!!!


    oh, Did I say "HA HA HA HA H AH AHA HA AHA HAH AHHA"!!!!!!!!!!

    link to this | view in thread ]

  8. identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 24 Jun 2008 @ 5:31am

    Re: Wrong issue

    Willton -> This is not about overreaching patent holders; this is about a litigant breaching the terms of his settlement. He deserves to get punished as such.

    Yes, but this is above and beyond, over the top, and hey - wait a minute - it was committed by an over reaching patent hoarder.

    Its not just a violation of the terms, it is continuing to do what they were suppose to stop doing. Contempt ?

    link to this | view in thread ]


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