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

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

Mon, Jun 23rd 2008 4:54am — Mike Masnick

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

8 Comments

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

Will this discourage the practise ?
2.3 - 4 = -1.7

Ha Ha
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Anonymous Coward, 23 Jun 2008 @ 5:30am

Yessssss!
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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).
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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.
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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.
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bored, 23 Jun 2008 @ 7:06am

About damn time.
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Anonymous Coward, 23 Jun 2008 @ 11:13am

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA

HA!!!!!!!!!

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