April 23, 2008

By By Susan Butler, N.Y.

A federal court jury in Lufkin, Texas, has hit Clear Channel Communications with a judgment for patent infringement, awarding Grantley Patent Holdings $66 million.

Clear Clear owns and operates about 1,200 radio stations across the United States. Grantley claimed that Clear Channel, through its unit LAN International, made and sold a revenue management tool called Viero to the entire broadcast and cable industries.

Billy Shane Fox, founder and co-owner of Grantley, invented and patented, from 2000-05, four systems of multi-station inventory management and revenue projection that Grantley claimed Clear Channel's Viero infringed. Fox is an authority in inventory management, price forecasting and traffic billing systems.

Following a trial that began on April 14, the jury on April 22 awarded Grantley $66,029,750, finding that Clear Channel wilfully infringed the four patents.

Clear Channel is expected to file an appeal.

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