Bedrock Computer Technologies, LLC v. Google Inc.

Analysis Group client Google, Inc., was sued by Bedrock Computer Technologies, LLC for the alleged infringement of a patent related to an "on-the-fly" method of disposing of expired records contained in certain versions of the Linux kernel. Bedrock was seeking $183 million in claimed royalty damages. A team from Analysis Group was retained by the law firms of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, and Potter Minton P.C., to evaluate Bedrock's claimed damages.

The case, Bedrock Computer Technologies LLC v. Google, was tried before Judge Leonard Davis in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, Tyler Division. The jury found that Google infringed two claims of the patent in suit. However, an Analysis Group team, including Senior Advisor Keith R. Ugone, Principal Na Dawson, and Vice President Minh Doan, conducted an independent evaluation of the plaintiffs' claimed damages and prepared rebuttal reports. Dr. Ugone testified in deposition and at trial that, if infringement were found, claimed damages should be significantly less than the amount being sought by Bedrock. The factors Dr. Ugone considered included the cost to modify the accused software code, the limited value of the accused software code to Google, Google's modification and removal of the accused code from the Linux kernel, and the existence of acceptable non-infringing alternatives.

The jury awarded Bedrock $5 million in damages rather than the $183 million being sought.