Motorola Solutions wins $764.6 million verdict in trade secrets case

By Jan Wolfe

(Reuters) - Motorola Solutions Inc <MSI.N> said on Friday it had won a $764.6 million (£586.6 million) jury verdict in a trade secret theft and copyright infringement case against Chinese rival Hytera Communications Corp <002583.SZ>.

A U.S. jury in Chicago found Shenzhen-based Hytera used Motorola Solutions' confidential documents and copyright-protected source code to compete in the market for two-way radio communications.

Hytera, a former distributor of Motorola Solutions products, told jurors it had developed its radios on its own.

The verdict was the maximum amount Motorola Solutions had asked jurors to award.

Motorola Solutions said it was planning to seek an injunction preventing Hytera from further misappropriating trade secrets and infringing copyrights.

“We presented clear facts and evidence of Hytera’s theft and infringement and are pleased the jury found in favour of our client," said Michael De Vries, a Kirkland & Ellis lawyer representing the Chicago-based company, in a statement.

Boyd Cloern, a lawyer for Hytera, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Motorola Solutions has a separate U.S. lawsuit pending against Hytera alleging patent infringement. A trial in this case is expected in late 2020 or early 2021, the U.S. company said.

Hytera has its own pending U.S. lawsuit against Motorola Solutions alleging the company used intellectual property litigation and its market power to stifle competition.

(Reporting by Amal S in Bengaluru and Jan Wolfe in Washington; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Sonya Hepinstall)