In a trade secrets case where the jury awarded plaintiff ClearOne Communications, Inc. damages on lost profits and unjust enrichment, the Tenth Circuit held that prejudgment interest was not appropriate because the damages calculations were based on speculation and assumptions and lacked the mathematical certainty required to justify an award of prejudgment interest. ClearOne Communications v. Chang, et al., 2011 WL 3468215, No. 09-4128 (10th Cir. Aug. 9, 2011) (slip op.).
Background
ClearOne licensed to Biamp Systems Corporation an acoustic echo cancellation (AEC) algorithm for an average price of $83.49 per channel in 2002. Id. *1. In 2004, WideBand Solutions, Inc. and associated individual defendants agreed to develop AEC software for Biamp and allegedly developed said software based upon ClearOne’s trade secret computer code. Id. Biamp stopped making payments to ClearOne and instead began a licensing agreement with WideBand in 2005. Id. Biamp allegedly used the infringing code to develop its product. Id. In 2006, Biamp developed its own technology and stopped licensing WideBand’s allegedly illicit code. Id.
Damages Calculations
ClearOne’s damages expert Richard Hoffman calculated lost profits and unjust enrichment. Id. Hoffman calculated lost profits by multiplying the number of channels Biamp licensed from WideBand by $83.49 (the average price per channel from the ClearOne/Biamp contract). Id. The jury found that ClearOne was entitled to $956,000 in lost profits against the WideBand defendants, and $956,000 in lost profits against Biamp. Id. Read the rest of this entry »