Palm paying Xerox $22.5M in patent case

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060628/ap_on_hi_te/palm_inc__settlement_4

STAMFORD, Conn. - Handheld computer maker Palm Inc. said Wednesday it 
would pay $22.5 million to Xerox Corp. to settle a patent infringement 
suit filed in 1997.

The dispute stems from a suit Xerox filed against a predecessor company 
to Palm Inc., charging that the handwriting-recognition technology sold 
as "Graffiti" and formerly used in some Palm devices infringed on a 
Xerox patent for a system known as Unistrokes. Palm replaced Graffiti 
with an updated system called Graffiti 2 in 2003.

The $22.5 million payment covers a fully paid-up license for three Xerox 
patents, including Unistrokes, Palm said. The two sides also agreed to 
"patent peace," or a seven-year mutual covenant not to sue within 
mutually agreed fields of use.

Palm said it would account for the license as a charge against earnings 
in its fiscal fourth quarter results.

Xerox said net proceeds of the payment would be mostly offset by costs 
related to the settlement of other legal matters.

Xerox shares rose 25 cents, or 1.9 percent, to close at $13.54 on the
New York Stock Exchange. Palm rose 35 cents, or 1.9 percent, to finish 
at $18.67 on the Nasdaq.


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