Meta Ordered to Pay Voxer $174.5 Million Over Violation of Live Streaming Patents: All Details

Meta's Facebook Live and Instagram Live features were found to use technology patented by Voxer.

By Agence France-Presse | Updated: 22 September 2022 10:44 IST

Facebook approached Voxer about potential collaboration after it launched a Walkie Talkie app in 2011

Highlights

Voxer launched a Walkie Talkie app in 2011
A US jury ordered Meta to pay $174.5 million for the violation
Voxer is co-founded by Tom Katis

A US jury on Wednesday ordered Meta to pay $174.5 million (roughly Rs. 1405 crore) for violating live-streaming patents developed by a US Army veteran seeking to fix shortcomings in battlefield communications.

A trial in Texas federal court ended with jurors deciding that "live" features at Facebook and Instagram used technology patented by Voxer, a company co-founded by Tom Katis, legal documents showed.

"We believe the evidence at trial demonstrated that Meta did not infringe Voxer's patents," a company spokesperson said in response to an AFP inquiry.

[Sponsored] Samsung Galaxy S24: The Ultimate Camera Phone With Smarter On-Device AI

"We intend to seek further relief, including filing an appeal."

Katis had reenlisted in the army after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States and served as a Special Forces communications sergeant in Afghanistan, court filings said.

When his combat unit was ambushed in Kunar province, he felt that the systems for coordinating reinforcements, medical evacuations and more "were ill-suited for time-sensitive communications with multiple groups in a highly disruptive environment," the complaint said.

US Reviews Psychological Warfare Operations Amid Disinformation Reports

"Mr. Katis and his team began developing communications solutions in 2006 to remedy these shortcomings," his lawyers said.

"The new technologies enabled transmission of voice and video communications with the immediacy of live communication and the reliability and convenience of messaging."

Facebook approached San Francisco-based Voxer about potential collaboration after it launched a Walkie Talkie app in 2011, but no agreement was reached, according to legal documents.

Instead, the lawsuit argued, Facebook went on to launch Facebook Live and Instagram Live, incorporating Voxer technology into the features.

Buying an affordable 5G smartphone today usually means you will end up paying a "5G tax". What does that mean for those looking to get access to 5G networks as soon as they launch? Find out on this week's episode. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.