Finesse Wireless LLC v. AT&T Mobility LLC
Authored by: Jeremy J. Gustrowsky
In a major decision for patent litigation, the Federal Circuit has reversed a $166 million jury verdict against AT&T Mobility LLC and Nokia of America Corporation, finding that the evidence presented at trial was not strong enough to support infringement of two Finesse Wireless LLC patents. The patents in question—U.S. Patent No. 7,346,134 and U.S. Patent No. 9,548,775—cover methods for reducing interference in radio signals, a key technology in modern wireless communications.
The heart of the case was whether the accused Nokia radios, used by AT&T, actually performed the patented methods. Finesse’s expert, Dr. Jonathan Wells, testified that the radios infringed by sampling both “signals of interest” and “interference generating signals.” However, the Federal Circuit found Dr. Wells’ testimony to be confusing and contradictory. He repeatedly identified the “interference generating signals” as something created after the radios had already sampled the signals, which means the radios could not possibly be infringing the way the patent requires. The court concluded that such unclear and self-contradictory expert testimony could not support the jury’s finding of infringement.
The court also found problems with Finesse’s case on the second patent, which required proof that the accused radios performed seven specific mathematical multiplications as part of their interference cancellation process. Dr. Wells only identified three such multiplications and failed to explain how these matched up with the seven required by the patent claims. Without clear evidence, the court ruled that no reasonable jury could have found infringement.
As a result, the Federal Circuit reversed the lower court’s denial of judgment as a matter of law (JMOL) of noninfringement and vacated the $166 million damages award. This decision underscores the importance of clear, consistent expert testimony in patent trials and highlights the high bar plaintiffs must meet to successfully prove infringement.