Federal Circuit Upholds $71M Verdict in Christmas Tree Patent Case

By Editorial Team

The Federal Circuit recently upheld a $71.4 million judgment against Polygroup Ltd. for infringing on rival Willis Electric Co. Ltd.'s artificial prelit Christmas tree patent. The court dismissed Polygroup's claims that the patent was invalid and that Willis' damages expert should have been excluded.

According to court documents, the patent in question is for a modular lighted tree with trunk electrical connectors, identified as Patent No. 8,454,186.

Lawyers representing both parties in the case included Finnegan, Leach & Walker; Merchant & Gould; Robins Kaplan; and WilmerHale.

Companies involved in the lawsuit included Georgia-Pacific LLC, Google LLC, Polygroup Inc., and Stout Risius Ross LLC.

The case was heard by Judge Joan N. Ericksen in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota and Judge J. Paul Oetken in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

This decision by the Federal Circuit marks a significant development in intellectual property law, setting a precedent for patent infringement cases involving holiday decorations and other consumer products.