Gogo Guts SmartSky’s Damages Ahead of In-Flight 5G Patent Trial

Gogo Inc. won a key ruling blocking both of SmartSky Networks LLC’s damages experts and granting summary judgment of no lost profits, undermining a $172 million damages bid in their 5G in-flight Wi-Fi patent dispute weeks before a scheduled trial.

The ruling wipes out SmartSky’s bid for about $161 million in lost profits and leaves it without admissible evidence to support its alternative claim for $11 million in royalties. Jurors will decide whether Gogo’s 5G equipment infringes five surviving SmartSky patents.

SmartSky failed to disclose its president, Ryan Stone, as an expert, and it’s too late to fix the mistake ...