Intel’s $2 Billion Patent Loss Tests Waco Trial Jury Assumptions

A $2 billion patent verdict against Intel Corp. challenges the conventional thinking about juries in Waco, Texas, and will be discouraging to companies facing new lawsuits, attorneys say.

Jurors in Waco said Intel owes VLSI Technology LLC $2.18 billion for infringing two patents that relate to power savings and performance improvements in microprocessors. It is the among the largest patent verdicts in U.S. history.

While the number of patent cases in Waco has exploded, one of the major unknowns has been how jurors will respond. Ryan Malphurs, managing partner of the trial consulting firm Delphi Litigation Strategies in Texas, ...