$262 Million Verdict: How MR Technologies Defended Its Patents Against Western Digital

In a significant patent infringement case, a California jury awarded MR Technologies (MRT) $262 million in damages against Western Digital. The lawsuit, filed by MRT in August 2022, accused Western Digital of unlawfully using technology patented by Dieter Suess, a professor at the University of Vienna and owner of MRT.

Represented by the law firm Russ August & Kabat, MRT needed an expert in magnetic storage technology with recent industry experience. Patexia was brought in to assist and, within just a few days, identified a highly qualified expert—the former CTO of a world-leading mass storage solutions company. After a successful initial interview, the expert was retained and provided critical insights and support throughout the case.

The patents at the center of the dispute, U.S. Patent Nos. 9,928,864 and 11,138,997, cover advanced methods to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio and increase areal density in hard disk drive recording media through multi-layer exchange spring recording technology. MRT alleged that Western Digital had incorporated this patented technology into nearly every disk drive it produced since 2018, enabling a significant increase in areal density from 300 Gbit/sq in to 1,000 Gbit/sq in.

To bolster their claims, MRT provided detailed examples of Western Digital products, including the WD Blue, WD Red, and Ultrastar series, along with technical comparisons. They highlighted specific structural elements of Western Digital’s hard drives—such as non-magnetic substrates, underlayers, and exchange-coupled magnetic multilayer structures—matching these against the claims in MRT's patents to demonstrate infringement.

In defense, Western Digital argued that it had not infringed on Suess' patents, claiming that it had independently developed alternative technologies to achieve higher areal density. Western Digital also asserted that the patents were invalid for obviousness. However, the jury was unconvinced, ultimately ruling in favor of MRT and holding Western Digital liable for $262 million in damages. The Court awarded $117 Million in prejudgment interest, resulting in a judgment of $380 Million in damages.

The case, titled MR Technologie GmbH v. Western Digital Technologies Inc., was heard in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California (Case No. 8:22-cv-01599). Western Digital has announced plans to appeal the decision.