No, and that's one of the problems with our patent system.
But, in this case, all they had to do was judge the difference between the inventor of public key encryption and a paid shill for patent trolls. The expert witness on the side of the troll is a guy who does this for a living; the expert witness on NewEgg's side was Whit Fucking Diffie. The "Diffie" in "Diffie-Hellman".
There's a reason patent trolls have all set up shop in this backward little Texas town. It's biggest industry is stifling innovation for the rest of the country.
The average American is going to find Whit Diffie to be an ass.
I mean no disrespect to the man. I hold him in high regard. But watch an interview with him and tell me that you think most people are going to find him to be a humble and appealing man.
This statement (thanks for providing a concise version of it) sums up the problem with the whole idea of a jury trial. It is completely irrelevant if someone thinks he is an ass. He is there to provide expert knowledge, nothing else.
"Lack of evidence? Who cares? He looks evil, must be a killer .."
No, that is not what they had to judge. I disagree with the outcome too, but the case was more complex than that. As far as I understand, part of the problem was whether or not this patent or RC4 had priority based on timing, which hinged on when RC4 and the method in the patent under litigation became known by enough people to be considered publicly known.
I wonder if that ever gets flagged in courts? You know, people who appear to be "professional expert witnesses", i.e. they make their living being an "expert witness" in court?
But, in this case, all they had to do was judge the difference between the inventor of public key encryption and a paid shill for patent trolls. The expert witness on the side of the troll is a guy who does this for a living; the expert witness on NewEgg's side was Whit Fucking Diffie. The "Diffie" in "Diffie-Hellman".
There's a reason patent trolls have all set up shop in this backward little Texas town. It's biggest industry is stifling innovation for the rest of the country.