Defendant
2 cases as defendant.
Symantec Corporation was a foundational cybersecurity company founded in 1982. Following a major corporate restructuring, the company has been split into two separate entities. In 2019, Broadcom Inc. acquired Symantec's enterprise security business for $10.7 billion. That business now operates as the Symantec Enterprise division of Broadcom. The remaining consumer-focused business, which included the well-known Norton and LifeLock brands, was renamed NortonLifeLock Inc. This company later merged with Avast and is now known as Gen Digital (NASDAQ: GEN), a Fortune 500 company co-headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, and Prague, Czech Republic.
The Symantec brand, as part of Broadcom, provides enterprise-level cybersecurity solutions. Its product lines include advanced threat protection, information and endpoint security, email security, and managed security services for large businesses and governments. The consumer-facing security software, such as Norton AntiVirus, Norton 360, and LifeLock identity theft protection, is no longer sold under the Symantec corporate name but is part of the brand portfolio of the publicly traded company Gen Digital.
Based on available litigation data, Symantec has acted as an operating company defending itself in patent disputes. The company has been tracked as a defendant in one patent case and has not been a plaintiff. This defensive posture is typical for a technology company that sells its own products and services. The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, a common venue for patent litigation.
The single tracked case is Intellectual Ventures I LLC v. Symantec Corporation, filed in 2010. The plaintiff, Intellectual Ventures, is a prominent non-practicing entity (NPE) that acquires and asserts patent portfolios. The suit involved patents related to anti-spam and anti-malware software technologies. The case is notable as Symantec successfully challenged the validity of the asserted patents, with the Federal Circuit ultimately affirming they were ineligible for patenting.
The district court found the asserted claims of U.S. Patent No. 6,073,142 to be ineligible for patenting under 35 U.S.C. § 101. The decision was subsequently appealed.
Litigation initiated by Walker Digital, LLC, a patent assertion entity, against numerous major software companies. The case was resolved via dismissals with prejudice for various defendants throughout 2011 and 2012, suggesting settlements were reached.