Cisco Wins Another Patent Ruling Against Arista

By Don Clark

Cisco Systems Inc. has persuaded an International Trade Commission judge that Arista Networks Inc. infringed two Cisco patents, the latest development in a high-profile legal tussle between the two Silicon Valley rivals.

Arista, which denies infringing the patents, said ITC Administrative Law Judge Mary Joan McNamara on Friday found no infringement of four other patents Cisco originally asserted in the case. Arista said it would ask the full commission to review the judge's infringement ruling concerning the two patents, which if granted would likely result in a final determination in April.

The commission could decide to order a ban on imports of Arista hardware, as it did in a parallel patent case earlier this year.

Arista, as in the earlier case, said it would modify its products in ways that would exclude technology found to infringe the Cisco patents.

Cisco and Arista also have been squaring off in a copyright infringement trial in federal court in San Jose, Calif., which is expected to produce a jury verdict next week.

Cisco is the biggest maker of switching systems used to connect servers inside data centers and to the internet. But Arista, whose chairman and chief executive are former Cisco executives, has grabbed a substantial chunk of the market since its founding in 2004.

Cisco first accused Arista of copyright and patent infringement in December 2014.

The ITC infringement ruling involves patents that cover technologies associated with controlling and improving operations of switching or routing systems. Arista, which contends the switching chips it purchases are responsible for any infringement, is separately trying to convince the Patent and Trademark Office to declare the patents invalid.

Following the ITC patent infringement ruling earlier this year, Arista recently convinced U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials that modified versions of its products aren't covered by the import ban. Cisco is asking the ITC for an additional ruling to block the Arista imports.

Write to Don Clark at don.clark@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 09, 2016 21:00 ET (02:00 GMT)

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