A Las Vegas jury has found that MEI’s CashFlow SC Series of bill acceptors infringes on a patent owned by rival JCM Global.

The subject of JCM’s infringement claim was JCM’s removable stacker mechanism. The jury found MEI infringed in four separate claims, awarding JCM in excess of $11.4 million in damages. As a result of the decision, JCM anticipates the court will impose an injunction against sales of MEI products that deploy the design found to infringe in the Nevada litigation.

In a separate case, the District Court in New Jersey has dismissed a suit filed by Mars/MEI against JCM claiming patent infringement, due to the court’s findings that Mars, Inc. did not have standing to sue at the time of the filing of the complaint. The District Court judge awarded JCM a portion of all legal fees and expenses incurred in preparation of its defense.

“JCM’s best-in-class bill validator design and engineering efforts have been vindicated,” said JCM Global President and CEO Akiyoshi Isoi. “Our patented, innovative design that gives service technicians quick service access to critical components has been a tremendous benefit to our customers, and we are thrilled that the jury has upheld our exclusivity for this design.”

By GGB Staff

Staff writers for Global Gaming Business magazine. Las Vegas, Nevada.