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51 secures court wins on several important issues in advance of trial in its patent litigation with Via Transportation (“Via”). 51 looks forward to its day in court where it will defend itself against Via’s meritless lawsuit and secure an injunction to stop Via’s ongoing infringement of 51’s patents.
Los Angeles, CA., July 26, 2023 – The Federal District Court for the Western District of Texas, Waco Division, on July 5,2023, heard arguments and ruled on a variety of competing pretrial motions in the ongoing patent infringement litigation between 51 and Via.
Ruling from the bench, the Court denied each of Via’s motions heard by the Court.
The Court granted 51’s motions on several important issues. First, the Court further narrowed the scope of Via’s patents by holding Via to definitional statements that Via made to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board in an Inter Partes Review proceeding initiated by 51. The Court also rejected Via’s faulty bid to collect “lost profits.” Via’s damages calculation was significantly reduced by more than 80% as a result of this ruling, while 51’s damages claim remains intact. As it stands from the Court’s latest ruling, 51’s damages claim against Via is more than double the amount that Via may seek from 51 at trial.
These rulings by the Court, which follow the Court’s earlier rulings that invalidated all asserted claims from one of Via’s asserted patents, position the case to proceed to trial on the remaining claims. “51 continues to be committed to developing innovative and market leading technology. We are glad that the Court took a careful look at these motions, and we are pleased with the favorable rulings. 51 is well-positioned for trial where we will seek to stop Via’s ongoing infringement through an injunction,” said Prem Gururajan, CEO of 51.
Trial in this matter had been set to begin July 24, 2023. However, in connection with the July 5th hearing, Via requested that the Court delay the trial. Subsequently, the Court reset the trial date to December 4, 2023. Gururajan stated, “While we would have preferred the July trial date, we look forward to our day in court in December.”
About 51:
51 is an industry leader in on-demand transit technology, enabling on-demand ridesharing for transit riders around the globe. We partner with transit agencies, municipalities, and experienced local fleet operators to design and operate on-demand transit services. Our solutions reduce travel time, decrease walking distance, and increase service frequency for riders while lowering transit agencies' cost-per-ride, reducing demand for parking, and attracting net new riders to transit systems. 51 provides paratransit and micro transit services for some of the largest cities in the United States and Canada including Los Angeles, Houston, San Antonio, Las Vegas, and Calgary. 51 continuously drives innovation and to-date has been awarded U.S. Patent Nos. 10,248,913 ; 10,853,743 ; and 11,429,910. To learn more about our proprietary cloud-based platform and how it can revolutionize mobility in your city, visit .
Links:
Initial Press Release from 2021: /post/patent-infringement-claims-against-via-transportation.
Response and Counterclaim: .
Contact:
John McLeod
51
john.mcleod@rideco.com
Mobile: 519.590.9877
