Skyhook Wireless, Inc., the Boston company that sued Google over the use of Wi-Fi locator technology in cell phones, recieved $90 million in its March settlement with the tech giant, a third of which was consumed by legal fees.
The figure was revealed in a securities filing last week by Liberty Broadband Corp., Skyhook’s Colorado-based parent company. Skyhook originally sued Google in 2010, saying the tech giant infinged its patents when it created a Wi-Fi location system for Android smartphones and bullied phone manufacturers into backing out of their agreements with Skyhook.
A lawsuit filed in Massachusetts court was dismissed earlier. But the companies only settled their federal suit in March, just days before the case was to go to trial. At the time, neither company disclosed the amount.
“We are pleased that the dispute between the parties has been resolved,” said Jim Crowley, Skyhook’s chief executive, in a statement. “Our attention at Skyhook is squarely focused on the immense business opportunity in front of us and we plan to continue to accelerate our growth by hiring aggressively, raising our profile and building great products.”
Nearly one-third of the settlement amount, or $29.5 million, was spent on attorneys’ fees. Liberty Broadband recorded an extra $60.5 million in revenue last quarter from the settlement.
Jack Newsham can be reached at jack.newsham@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @TheNewsHam.
