Google has lost a legal battle to patent giant SimpleAir, which has sued every major tech company, including Apple, Microsoft, Motorola and Samsung.
SimpleAir, the well-known patent giant, is now seeking $125 million in damages. Google has been found guilty of patent infringement for certain aspects of its messaging service.
Apple had settled a similar case over the same patent in 2012. case , unsurprisingly, is being heard in the Eastern District of Texas, where courts are particularly friendly to patent companies like SimpleAir.
Patent companies in America are companies that buy third-party patents and then if someone uses them, they claim their rights.
While it's often not the cheapest solution for companies to reach an agreement, Google was hoping to win this battle for the sake of all the other tech companies sued by SimpleAir.
The current case is an example of why Google wants to change patent laws, arguing that it is not right to lose lawsuits to a company that simply buys patents and sues others, without producing anything itself.
Google will now have to go to a second trial against SimpleAir to determine the amount of compensation.
