Akamai Had Hoped for $100M-Plus Award

Xconomy has some additional details about Friday's jury verdict that awarded Akamai (AKAM) $45 million in damages from Limelight Networks (LLNW) in a patent dispute. The jury found that Limelight's content delivery technology infringed on Akamai patent 6,108,703, known in the industry as the "703" patent. Xconomy reports that the verdict "was not the huge win Akamai hoped it would be" since additional elements of the company's case against Limelight had been thrown out weeks earlier. An excerpt:

Nine figures is $100 million. Instead, the jury found damages to Akamai of $45.5 million, including $40.1 million for profits lost as a result of Limelight's infringement, a royalty of $1.4 million, and a further $4 million to compensate Akamai for price erosion caused by competition from Limelight. Xconomy has obtained the jury form that itemizes the verdict, and posted it online.

Limelight has said it will appeal the verdict, and Dan Rayburn writes that if Limelight is not acquired, it may seek to rally other CDN providers behind its appeal, asserting that they have a vested interest in contesting Akamai's patent claims.

The Akamai-Limelight patent case is also being discussed on Slashdot.