https://www.businessinsider.com/wells-fargo-willfully-infringed-on-two-usaa-patents-business-insider-2019-11
A US District Court jury in Texas has found that Wells Fargo willfully infringed on two USAA patents for the "auto capture" process that simplifies check deposits made via mobile devices. USAA was awarded $200 million worth of damages due to the infringements associated with the lawsuit it filed in June 2018.
Wells Fargo
REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
Winning damages from Wells Fargo could help USAA make its case in future litigations surrounding its mobile check deposit patents. USAA claims it was the first to release mobile deposit, having built the feature in-house in 2005 to give overseas active-duty military clients the ability to deposit checks.
It was granted patents on mobile deposit in 2011 and has been attempting to collect royalties from banks using the feature, but there has been little news of legal battles yielding payouts up until now (though some banks may have simply agreed to the royalties or settled out of court in the case of litigation): USAA previously filed a lawsuit against Mitek, a company that specializes in mobile imaging, but saw the legal fight end in a stalemate in 2014.
However, USAA's victory in its lawsuit against Wells Fargo could act as a precedent upon which USAA could build future legal cases, potentially granting USAA leverage as it works to negotiate licensing agreements with banks and credit unions to use its mobile deposit process.