Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, was ordered on Wednesday to pay $174.5 million in damages to Voxer, an app that has accused the tech giant of infringing its patents.
A Texas jury ruled that Meta copied walkie-talkie messaging patents in its live streaming features on Facebook Live and Instagram Live. The trial opened in Austin last week.
Meta intends to appeal, a spokesperson told AFP. "We believe the evidence presented at trial shows that Meta did not infringe Voxer’s patents," he asserted.
Failed partnership
Voxer launched lawsuits in 2020, claiming that the Californian tech leviathan had used its patented technology without permission after a collaboration between the two companies in 2012 had failed.
Specifically, the Voxer technology allows audio and video to be shared with the immediacy of live streaming and the reliability and ease of messaging. This was made possible even with poor network conditions and if the recipient is unavailable.
Facebook contacted Voxer shortly after launching its service in 2011, which was an "immediate success" said Voxer. The start-up then provided the details of its technologies to the social network, but "the meetings did not lead to an agreement," Voxer lawyers stated.
Related News
"Facebook then identified Voxer as a competitor even though it did not, at the time, have live video or audio tools," the plaintiff claims.
"Facebook revoked Voxer’s access to key elements of the platform and launched Facebook Live in 2015 and then Instagram Live in 2016. Both products include Voxer technologies and violate its patents."
