A jury in Delaware has determined that Macromedia did infringe on
technology patents held by Adobe Systems and has awarded Adobe
$2.8m (£1.9m) in damages, the companies announced.
Adobe sued Macromedia in August 2000 charging that its Flash
animation product makes use of patented technology developed by
Adobe for its "tabbed palette", a feature that helps users organise
information on their computer screens.
Along with its damages award, Adobe said it expects the court to
issue an injunction that would prevent Macromedia from further
infringement of Adobe patents.
Macromedia had filed a countersuit against Adobe raising patent
infringement allegations of its own. Macromedia expects to begin
presenting its case on 6 May, it said.
"It is unfortunate and, we believe, wrong, that Adobe has chosen
this field to compete. Ultimately, it is our customers, and
particularly our mutual customers, that will be harmed," said Rob
Burgess, Macromedia's chairman and chief executive officer.
Macromedia said it does not expect the award to have any material
impact on its financial condition.