LN Triumphs In Tech Case

Live Nation Entertainment, several ticketing companies and airlines are clear to continue using “mouse-over” technology on their websites following a recent verdict in a Texas patent infringement trial.

The suit, filed in April 2010 by Tyler, Texas-based CEATS Inc., claimed the defendants had violated a number of patents used in the technology that allows consumers to view, select and reserve their seats online.

Attorneys for CEATS had asked the jury for more than $85 million, but the company’s efforts proved fruitless after jurors found its claims invalid based on technology publicly launched by online travel website Expedia in 1997.

“People who say juries don’t understand complex cases aren’t paying attention,” LN attorney Tom Melsheimer said. “This jury rejected the alleged ‘invention story’ presented by the plaintiffs and reached the right conclusion.”

Other companies represented in the suit included Ticketmaster, Ticketsnow, TNOW Entertainment Group, US Airways and Virgin America.