ViaSat has announced that a federal court jury has awarded ViaSat $283 million in damages in its patent infringement and breach of contract case against Space Systems/Loral (SS/L). The jury found SS/L (1) infringed three ViaSat patents relating to its ViaSat-1 high-capacity satellite system: U.S. Patent Nos. 8,010,043, 8,068,827, and 8,107,875 and (2) breached the non-disclosure agreements and manufacturing contract between the parties.

During trial, SS/L dropped its counterclaim alleging ViaSat had infringed an SS/L patent. The trial was held in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California.

"We appreciate the jury's hard work and their attention to the evidence. While litigation was a last resort for us in this case, the process ultimately confirmed that ViaSat invented the groundbreaking ViaSat-1 technology and the extensive damages validate the significant value of this technology in creating high capacity satellites," said Rick Baldridge, ViaSat president and COO.

"We will continue our commitment to protect our intellectual property and innovation."

ViaSat has requested that the court enter a permanent injunction prohibiting SS/L from manufacturing or selling infringing satellites or satellite components, including the continued manufacturing of infringing satellites currently under construction. Additional issues remain for the court to rule upon that could ultimately impact the amount of the award, and any final ruling and award in the case is subject to appeal.

In February 2012, ViaSat served a complaint for patent infringement and breach of contract against SS/L and Loral Space and Communications related to the unauthorized use of ViaSat's intellectual property, including technology ViaSat developed for its ground breaking 100+ Gbps ViaSat-1 satellite.