$175 million fine against Meta for patent infringement

Meta must pay $175 million to Voxer, the developer of the Walkie Talkie. According to the judge, the American giant violated the company’s patents. Menlo Park will appeal.

Meta now faces a hefty fine after losing a patent infringement lawsuit. A Texas federal judge ordered the Menlo Park firm to pay Voxer, the developer of an app called Walkie Talkie, nearly $175 million in royalties. Voxer accused Meta of infringing its patents and integrating the technology into Instagram Live and Facebook Live.

Meta to Pay $175M to Walkie Talkie Voxer Developer

In 2006, Tom Cathys, the founder of Voxer, began working on a method to solve communication problems he encountered while serving in the US Army in Afghanistan. Tom Cathys and his team developed the technology to transmit voice and video, which enabled Voxer to launch the Walkie Talkie app in 2011.

US giant infringed company patents, judge says

Shortly after the release of the app, Meta (then Facebook) approached the company about a possible collaboration, according to court filings. Voxer reportedly offered Meta to disclose its patented technology and patent portfolio, but the two parties failed to reach an agreement. Voxer claims that while Meta didn’t have a live video or live voice service at the time, it placed developer Walkie Talkie on its list of competitors, even disabling access to some Facebook features such as Facebook’s Find Friends tool.

Meta launched Facebook Live in 2015. Tom Kathis claims he was able to meet with Facebook Live’s product manager in early 2016 to discuss possible patent infringement on the product, but Meta refused to reach an agreement with the company. Instagram Live even showed up a few months later. “These two products incorporate Voxer technology and infringe its patents,”Voxer claims in this case.

Menlo Park to appeal

The American giant apparently denies Voxer’s allegations and intends to challenge the decision. “We are satisfied that the evidence in this litigation has shown that Meta did not infringe on Voxer’s patents,”a spokesperson said. “We intend to go further, including by filing an appeal.”