Yahoo Infringed Web Links Patent, $15 Million Owed: Jury (2)

Droplets Inc. is owed $15 million because Yahoo! Inc.'s Search Suggest feature infringes one of the company’s patents, a California federal jury found.

Search Suggest offers suggestions when people type words into the Yahoo search bar. The jury decided Tuesday other Yahoo products, including Yahoo’s Search History feature, Yahoo Mail, and Yahoo Maps didn’t infringe Droplet’s U.S. Patent No. 6,687,745, covering a system for delivering interactive links.

Courtland Reichman of Reichman Jorgensen LLP, an attorney for Droplets, said the verdict confirms “Droplets invented technology that changed the Internet.”

“While the other big tech players did the right thing ...