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Facebook involved in rift over Rift, business litigation ongoing

On Behalf of | Feb 2, 2017 | Business Litigation |

Most people in California and throughout the nation are familiar with Facebook and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg. What many might not know, however, is that a jury recently ruled against Facebook during business litigation involving Oculus, a company Facebook purchased in 2014. The company doing the suing was ZeniMax, which accused a former employee of stealing technology codes then using them to develop Oculus products after no longer working at ZeniMax.

The jury reportedly said Facebook must pay $500 million in damages for the economic injuries ZeniMax suffered in the situation. Zuckerberg took the stand at one point, and he said he was completely unaware that there was a dispute going on between Oculus and ZeniMax. Palmer Luckey, the former ZeniMax/Oculus employee, said he did not steal any technology codes or information at any time.

ZeniMax said the information was used to develop Oculus’s popular virtual reality product, the Rift headset. Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook spokesperson, said Facebook executives are rather disappointed with various parts of the jury’s verdict. She also stated Facebook is considering filing an appeal.

Business litigation regarding intellectual property is often complex and contentious. It usually takes a skilled and aggressive attorney to protect a client’s best interests and achieve a positive outcome. If someone in California is facing business problems of this sort, a business and commercial law attorney may prove to be a valuable asset when preparing to fight it out in court. A first logical step to take is to request a consultation to discuss the specifics of a particular situation.

Source: NBC, “Facebook to Pay $500 Million Over Virtual Reality Lawsuit“, Michelle Castillo, Feb. 1, 2017

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