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Cisco 2, StorageTek 0: Page 2 of 3

10:45 AM - This week a jury decided in favor of Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO) in a longstanding patent dispute with Storage Technology Corp. (StorageTek) (NYSE: STK). The decision is notable because it was resolved without a settlement. StorageTek...
June 09, 2005

Who's right? Was Cisco in fact bullied by an opportunistic StorageTek? Or was the storage outfit unjustly robbed of its rightful IP? Could it be a bit of both?

More than five years later, the truth lies buried beneath layers of legalese -- and therein lies the problem. This story isn't new; it's just a higher-profile instance of something that occurs regularly among IT suppliers. The vagaries of patent law forced both companies to pursue their respective complaints for nearly six years without a resolution, spending untold sums in the process.

Of course, patent litigation is such a fact of life in the IT industry that no one even noticed until the verdict was read. Certainly, neither of the parties was preoccupied with it or let it interfere with common interests (see StorageTek Resells Cisco).

Bottom line? Patent litigation's entrenched, with a culture and protocol all its own. Expect more of the same.

— Mary Jander, Site Editor, Byte and Switch

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