GoDaddy Hit With $170M Patent Verdict Over Web-Design Tech

Internet domain registrar GoDaddy owes a patent owner $170 million for violating its rights in website-building technology, a Delaware federal jury said in a verdict made public on Friday.

The jury agreed with Express Mobile that GoDaddy’s web-design tools infringe two of its patents.

GoDaddy said in a statement that it disagrees with the verdict and will “vigorously fight it in the district court and on appeal, if necessary.” Express Mobile attorney Jay Nuttall called the verdict “an outstanding result for our client that confirms the value of Express Mobile’s foundational patents.”

Novato, California-based Express Mobile owns patents covering internet and mobile technology developed by the company’s founder, former IBM engineer Steven Rempell. Express Mobile sued GoDaddy in 2019, arguing that its user tools for building websites infringed Express Mobile’s patents related to similar technology.

Tempe, Arizona-based GoDaddy denied the allegations and argued that the patents were invalid. GoDaddy won a separate jury trial over related Express Mobile infringement claims in 2023.

Express Mobile won a $40 million verdict in a similar case against e-commerce platform Shopify in 2022. Shopify convinced a Delaware federal judge to overturn the verdict last year.

(Reporting by Brittain in Washington; editing by Diane Craft)