Erise Trial Victory Upheld by Eastern District of Texas

On March 18, U.S. District Court Judge Rodney Gilstrap denied the request of two video game developers for a new trial in a patent infringement dispute against Erise’s client Sony. This ruling affirms the jury verdict from 2021 clearing Sony of any alleged infringement.

The video game developers, Infernal Technology and Terminal Reality, claimed that Sony’s PlayStation console and two of its video games, Spider-Man and God of War, infringed their patents. They sought more than $100 million in damages for the alleged infringement. In October 2021, Erise secured a complete defense verdict in the Eastern District of Texas – a notable win in one of the country’s most notoriously difficult courts.

In January 2022, the plaintiffs filed a motion for a new trial.

In its coverage of Judge Gilstrap’s denial, Law360 reported “the game developers’ attempt to ‘un-do’ the verdict fell flat because it contested the jury’s interpretation of the term ‘light image data,’ even though all three companies had agreed to the claim construction.”

The Erise team included shareholders Eric A. Buresh, Mark Lang and Michelle L. Marriott, along with counsel Jason R. Mudd and associate attorney Kelly Hughes.