Supreme Court Denies Certiorari in $140M Patent Case, Reports KCBJ

The Kansas City Business Journal interviewed Shook Intellectual Property Co-Chair Trent Webb on the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to deny a request for a hearing on five patents involving voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) service.

Sprint sued Time Warner for infringing on five of its patents. A federal court in Kansas City, Kansas, ruled in Sprint’s favor and granted $140 million in damages. Time Warner appealed and lost. After another appeal was lost at the federal circuit, Time Warner petitioned the Supreme Court to hear the matter. On November 4, 2019, the Supreme Court turned down the request. The result was reported in “KC Law Firm Helps Sprint Secure one of the largest Intellectual Property Verdicts in the U.S.”

“We had so many folks working on this,” Webb told the Kansas City Business Journal. “We were going up against some of the nation's heavyweight law firms, so it's extremely gratifying to face that and get an outcome like this. For me, as the leader of the team, it gives me a lot of pride. It shows all their hard work has paid off.”

The verdict remains the second largest intellectual property verdict in the United States for 2017.

The case is Time Warner Cable Inc. v. Sprint Communications Co., No. 19-211.