Western Digital is a name synonymous with hard drives, system storage, and all things spinny-platter, with the sort of brand recognition many of its competitors must envy. It looks like its going to have to reach into its pockets and find a considerable amount of spare change, however, as a Californian jury has decided that the company has violated patent rights, and owes damages to the tune of $262m.
MR Technologie (MRT) sued Western Digital in August 2022, claiming that it had infringed upon two patents filed by Dieter Seuss, a professor and head of the Physics of Functional Materials department at the University of Vienna—and owner of MRT (via Blocks & Files).
The patents referred to methods that increase the signal to noise ratio in a HDD by using anisotropy magnetic effects to help bits change direction. The lawsuit alleged that several of Western Digital's hard drive products contained technology that infringed the patented techniques.
MRT's lawyers reportedly accused WD of misusing these methods, which allowed it to increase areal density on the HDDs in question from 300 Gbit/sq in to 1,000 Gbit/sq in. According to a court transcript obtained by Reuters, MRT attorney Mark Fenster of Russ August & Kabat said, during closing arguments:
"Without using these inventions, Western Digital would not be able to compete in the market."
Western Digital attorney Douglas Lumish disagreed: "MRT's lawyers have given false credit, to a fairly magnificent extent, to Dr. Suess for the work of thousands of [Western Digital] engineers over decades and across the planet."
Western Digital has said it will appeal the verdict "as soon as possible".
For a company with an estimated net worth of $20.86 billion as of August 16 this year, rustling up $262m in damages may seem like a drop in the ocean. That being said, the accusation that Western Digital violated patent rights in order to compete in the storage market will sting, and it's likely WD will do everything within its power to attempt to remove that unsightly mark from its name. Just when you thought spinning platter hard drives were boring, ey?
