Chip maker hit with $1.7 bn verdict

A California chip maker must pay nearly $1.17 billion for infringing patents held by Carnegie Mellon University, a Pittsburgh jury has decided. If it stands, the award against Marvell Technology Group Ltd. would rank among the largest ever in a patent case, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. Carnegie Mellon sued Marvell in 2009 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania, alleging Marvell, based in Santa Clara, infringed patents covering technology associated with "noise predictive detection," a technology used in data-storage systems. Marvell is known for manufacturing chips utilized in data-storage applications. The jury decided Marvell products infringed all patent claims asserted by the Pittsburgh university and the infringements entitled Carnegie Mellon to damages totaling nearly $1.17 billion. Marvell had said the patents were invalid, an argument the jury discarded. Marvell representatives could not be reached for comment, the Journal said.