Clear Channel is the loser in a Texas lawsuit that centers around its Viero revenue management system.
A jury awarded a Dallas company $66 million in a patent infringement case. The San Antonio Express-News reports that after a week-long trial, the jury found that Clear Channel had willfully infringed upon intellectual property rights of Grantley Patent Holdings.
The newspaper reported that a judge has the option of tripling the amount of the verdict because of the finding of willful misconduct.
Grantley owns a system for managing and pricing radio ad inventory; it sued the broadcaster for allegedly violating several patents. Grantley’s owners also own Maxagrid International Ltd., which had provided Clear Channel with systems for managing ad inventories. That relationship ended by 2003, the newspaper reported. Grantley calls the Viero system a violation of its patents and filed suit in 2006.
