Western Digital has infringed on a number of security patents and will pay $315 million to Spyrus

A California federal court ruled against Western Digital, ordering it to pay $315.7 million in damages for violating patent rights related to data security technologies. The lawsuit was filed by SPEX Technologies, which accused Western Digital of illegally using encryption technology in its Ultrastar, My Book, and My Passport products. These technologies are based on patents US6088802A and US6003135A owned by Spyrus and relate to methods for peripheral devices to interact with host computers to provide security.

Western Digital denies the allegations and intends to appeal the court’s decision. This is not the first time that the company has faced such lawsuits — in the summer of 2023, it was already obliged to pay $262 million in another patent infringement case.

Recently, the US court issued a permanent injunction aimed at weakening Google’s control over Android and the Play Store, a result of Epic Games’ antitrust lawsuit against Google. The court ordered Google to change its approach to alternative app stores, prohibiting anti-competitive practices that privileged Google Play.

The ruling by Judge James Donato of California limits Google from paying out and sharing revenue in favor of companies that agreed not to use competing platforms. In particular, this concerns Google’s practice of entering into agreements with Android phone manufacturers and software developers so that they do not develop alternative app stores. Shares of Google parent Alphabet fell more than 2% after the news was announced.

The lawsuit filed by Epic Games alleged that Google used its dominant market position to prevent competition, including by paying hardware manufacturers and software developers not to use third-party app stores. In December 2023, the court found Google’s actions illegal, establishing a connection between Google Play and Google Play Billing, and calling distribution agreements anti-competitive.