Leading global provider of data storage solutions, Western Digital has been ordered to pay $315.7 million in damages for infringing on data encryption patents owned by SPEX Technologies, a federal jury in California ruled. The lawsuit centers on Western Digital’s self-encrypting storage devices, which the jury found violated patents that SPEX had acquired from Spyrus, a company specializing in cryptography and data security.

The patents in question, US6088802A and US6003135A, were originally developed in the late 1990s for use in PCMCIA and Compact Flash devices, now outdated technologies. These patents, which expired in 2017, covered methods for securing data on storage devices through encryption protocols. The lawsuit was filed in 2016, just before the patents expired, allowing the case to move forward.

SPEX's lead attorney, Marc Fenster, praised the verdict, calling it a victory for Sue Pontius, co-founder of Spyrus, who was involved in the development of the patented encryption technologies. "This verdict is a vindication of her perseverance," he said.

Western Digital, however, strongly disagrees with the ruling. A company spokesperson announced that Western Digital plans to challenge the verdict through post-trial motions and is prepared to file an appeal if necessary.

This is not the first time Western Digital has faced legal challenges related to patents. In July 2023, a separate jury in the same California federal court ruled that the company owed $262 million for infringing on patents related to hard drive storage capacity.

The affected Western Digital products in this latest case include several of the company’s well-known lines, such as Ultrastar, My Book, and My Passport.