Palo Alto Networks to Pay Centripetal $151.5 Million in Patent Suit

A federal jury in Virginia has ordered Palo Alto Networks to pay Centripetal Networks $151.5 million in damages after finding it violated the company’s patent rights.

The jury agreed with Centripetal that Palo Alto Networks’ security software infringed four patents related to Centripetal's "threat intelligence gateway" network-security technology.

Centripetal sued Palo Alto Networks in 2021. It claimed Palo Alto Networks’ Cortex cybersecurity platform, Next-Gen Firewalls and other software infringed patents related to technology for blocking security threats from entering a computer network.

Centripetal asked the court for monetary damages and an order blocking Palo Alto Networks’ alleged infringement.

Palo Alto Networks told the court its technology works differently than Centripetal's, and also argued that the patents were invalid.

Centripetal Pleased with Verdict Against Palo Alto Networks

Jonathan Rogers, Centripetal’s COO, tells us his company is “very pleased with the jury verdict and the award for significant damages.”

Centripetal's Jonathan Rogers

“For over a decade, Centripetal has pioneered the use of intelligence to power cybersecurity,” he said. “This decision protects the patents and innovation central to Centripetal's technology that provides leading-edge protection for our customers. As a company, we strongly believe in the protection of intellectual property (IP). The safeguarding and protection of IP patents is critical for fostering technological creativity, innovation and growth."

Palo Alto Networks sent us the following statement:

"We respectfully disagree with the jury’s decision, which we believe is contrary to both the law and the extensive evidence we presented at trial. We plan to pursue relief from the court."

In 2020, Centripetal won a $2.75 billion award from a Virginia federal judge after he found that Cisco Systems' cybersecurity products infringed separate Centripetal patents. However, in December, a different federal judge ruled in favor of Cisco and threw out the award.