By Ian Thoms

A federal judge in Texas hit IBM Corp. with a $9 million judgment Tuesday after a jury found the computer giant infringed three patents related to blade server technology held by Acqis LLC.

The jury in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas determined that IBM infringed all the claims asserted in the patents-in-suit, rejecting the defendant's bid to invalidate them for reasons of anticipation and obviousness.

Judge Leonard Davis had earlier declined to award IBM a ruling of summary judgment on its argument of indefiniteness.

"Our client is thrilled with the verdict," plaintiff attorney Jim Brogan of Cooley LLP said Thursday. "But I imagine that they will certainly appeal, so you can view it as winning the battle and not war."

Acqis, a Texas-based patent-holding company, sued IBM, Dell Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co., NEC Corp., Oracle America Inc., Super Micro Computer Inc. and others in 2009, claiming they infringed its patent on a computer peripheral console and seven other patents related to blade servers. After various settlements and rulings, only IBM remained as a defendant.

Acqis was founded in 1998 and developed the iMod, a portable device on which users could save all of their computing data, according to the company. The iMod can be inserted into a range of electronic devices, including personal computers, entertainment systems and cell phones, to access data.

Acqis introduced the iMod in 2000, and sold it for several years before deciding to focus on intellectual property licensing, the company said.

A blade server houses multiple thin, modular electronic circuit boards called server blades that contain processors, memory and other computer components. They are designed to reduce power consumption and cable use compared with traditional servers.

The patents-in-suit in the complaint against IBM are U.S. Patent Numbers 6,718,415, issued in 2004 and titled "Computer system and method including console housing multiple computer modules having independent processing units mass storage devices and graphics controllers"; 7,363,416, issued in 2008 and titled "Computer system utilizing multiple computer modules with password protection"; and 7,376,779, issued in 2008 and titled "Multiple module computer system and method."

A representative for IBM did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

Cooley LLP, Siebman Burg Phillips & Smith LLP and Chandler Law Offices represent Acqis.

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP and Albritton Law Firm represent IBM.

The case is Acqis v. IBM Corp., case number 09-cv-00148, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

All Content © 2003-2012, Portfolio Media, Inc.

This content is provided for general informational purposes only, and your access or use of the content does not create an attorney-client relationship between you or your organization and Cooley LLP, Cooley (UK) LLP, or any other affiliated practice or entity (collectively referred to as "Cooley"). By accessing this content, you agree that the information provided does not constitute legal or other professional advice. This content is not a substitute for obtaining legal advice from a qualified attorney licensed in your jurisdiction, and you should not act or refrain from acting based on this content. This content may be changed without notice. It is not guaranteed to be complete, correct or up to date, and it may not reflect the most current legal developments. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Do not send any confidential information to Cooley, as we do not have any duty to keep any information you provide to us confidential. When advising companies, our attorney-client relationship is with the company, not with any individual. This content may have been generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence (Al) in accordance with our Al Principles, may be considered Attorney Advertising and is subject to our legal notices.