Lutron Owes $5.34 Million for Patent Infringing High-End Shades

A federal judge doubled a jury’s patent infringement verdict to $5.34 million in favor of a Charleston, S.C., maker of minimalist window shades, citing evidence that engineers for Lutron Electronics Co. admitted to lying to access patent-pending technology.

Judge Colleen McMahon of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York also awarded pre-judgment interest and rejected Lutron’s motion for a judgment as a matter of law that would have wiped out the verdict entirely. She ordered GeigTech East Bay LLC to submit a bill of costs before issuing her final judgment.

The enhanced award was appropriate in ...