Jury Awards Grantley $66 Million in Patent Infringement Suit Against Clear Channel Communications; Court Enhances Verdict

Minneapolis (June 2008) - A jury in the United States District Court, Eastern District of Texas, Lufkin Division., has awarded $66,029,750 to Grantley Patent Holdings, Ltd. in a patent infringement trial.  On April 22, the jury found that Clear Channel Communications, Inc. infringed Grantley's intellectual property regarding integrated inventory management systems for multiple radio stations.  After a seven-day trial, the jury found that the infringement was willful.  On June 11, 2008, the court awarded an additional $16,507,437, or 25 percent of the jury's verdict, as enhanced damages for the willful infringement, plus prejudgment interest and additional interim royalties between the verdict and the date of judgment.  The total judgment exceeds $89,000,000.

In an earlier motion relating to this case, the Court granted Grantley's motion for summary judgment of no inequitable conduct on March 31, 2008, and noted that Clear Channel's allegations of inequitable conduct were supported by "paltry" evidence.   

Grantley is the patent holding sister company of Maxagrid International, Ltd., a leading producer of yield management software for radio stations. 

Trial counsel for Grantley were Ronald J. Schutz, chair of the Intellectual Property Litigation Practice Group at Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi L.L.P., and Emmett J. McMahon, a partner at the firm whose practice focuses on intellectual property litigation. Grantley was also represented at trial by Larry Germer of Germer Gertz, L.L.P. located in Beaumont, Texas.

"We are very pleased that the jury understood the complex issues in the case and found that Clear Channel had infringed Grantley's patents," said Mr. Schutz.

The case is Grantley v. Clear Channel Communications, et al.