In a landmark case, data storage major Western Digital has been asked to pay the highest fine of $315.7 million for violating patents associated with data encryption technology. SPEX Technologies owns these patents, having acquired them from Spyrus that developed the encryption technology. These technologies are used in older storage devices like PCMCIA and Compact Flash cards.
The jury concluded that many of Western Digital’s self-encrypting storage devices infringed on these patents, which led to the hefty damages awarded. The case has been ongoing since 2016 when SPEX first sued Western Digital for using its patented technology without permission. Patents US6088802A and US6003135A, together at the heart of this case, dealt with the only plausible data encryption methods allowing secure operation of the peripherals and the host without compromising the security of the data.
Patents at the Heart of Controversy
The patents involved here deal with filed inventions in 1997 related to the protection of communication or interaction based on data in external storage that connects to computers. They have been applied in ancient standards, including PCMCIA and Compact Flash cards. Despite their patents having expired in 2017, they filed the lawsuits prior to expiration, so the case is technically valid. These patents are crafted specifically to allow encryption processes meant to safeguard the data, especially during the transfer from a peripheral device to a host computer.
This article has been indexed from CySecurity News – Latest Information Security and Hacking Incidents