Lucent Patent Claims Upheld

A federal jury upheld the validity of five Lucent Technologies Inc. patents used for Internet applications and said they were infringed by Newbridge Networks Corp. products. The jury, after a three-week trial in U.S. District Court in Delaware, awarded Lucent damages of $9.5 million. Murray Hill, N.J.-based Lucent had sought $12 million, based on a 1% royalty for each patent. Meanwhile, Newbridge said it is exploring “strategic options,” including putting itself up for sale. The Canadian company, which has been losing market share to Lucent, posted a 55% drop in fiscal second-quarter profit and said it’s cutting 600 jobs, or 10% of its work force. Lucent shares gained $3.38 to close at $80.38 on the New York Stock Exchange. Newbridge jumped $5.06 to close at $24 on the NYSE.