Cisco Owes SRI $57 Million After Enhanced Patent Award Restored

The Federal Circuit reinstated a $57 million patent infringement verdict against Cisco Systems Inc. after finding the trial court read its earlier opinion in the case to require too high a willfulness standard.

The U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware had overturned a jury’s finding that Cisco willfully infringed SRI International Inc.'s hacker-security patents based on its understanding of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit’s opinion the first time the case was on appeal.

The appeals court acknowledged in a precedential opinion Tuesday that its earlier opinion was confusing in light of its other precedent. ...