For nearly seven years, Radio World has turned to Womble Bond Dickinson’s Bill Ragland to provide insight on the long-running MAD/DigiMedia patent infringement case. With the case finally coming to an end, Ragland again offers his thoughts on this closely watched dispute.

MAD/DigiMedia sued five major radio station groups in 2011, claiming the stations have infringed upon the company’s hard disk automation systems patents. In December 2017, both sides agreed to drop the main suit as well as the countersuits filed by the broadcast companies.

The court documents ending the suits were brief and vague, leaving it unclear as to whether or not any settlement money was paid by either side. Ragland noted that the case concluded after the US Patent and Trademark Office reexamined the patents at issue, which narrowed the scope of MAD/DigiMedia’s arguments.

“It could be DigiMedia concluded that following the reexaminations the patent infringement case was not worth pursuing,” Ragland tells Radio World.

Click here to read “MAD Patent Infringement Case Ends” in Radio World.

Bill Ragland is among Womble Carlyle’s most experienced lead litigators, trial lawyers and strategists, with particular experience in patent and intellectual property litigation. He has litigated more than 60 patent infringement and other patent-related cases in his 32-year career. Ragland also provides strategic advice regarding the structure, negotiation and implementation of intellectual property enforcement and licensing programs and portfolio management services. Ragland founded the Atlanta Bar Association’s Intellectual Property Section and served as its first co-chair, is a past president of the Atlanta Bar Association, and currently serves on the Board of Governors of the State Bar of Georgia.

Recently, Ragland was named to Intellectual Asset Management magazine’s IAM Strategy 300: The World’s Leading IP Strategists for the seventh time. Ragland also is ranked in the IAM Patent 1000: The World’s Leading Patent Professionals. In addition, he is recommended and listed by Chambers USA, Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers for Intellectual Property and Litigation. On occasions, he has been named “Lawyer of the Year” by Best Lawyers in America, including for Technology Law, Patent Law, Copyright Law and Mergers & Acquisitions Litigation.