Judge Declares Mistrial in Juniper’s Suit Against Palo Alto Networks

Network security firm Palo Alto Networks said on Friday that a judge from the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware declared a mistrial in a lawsuit brought by Juniper Networks against Palo Alto Networks due to the jury being unable to reach a verdict.

In December 2011, Juniper Networks filed a lawsuit against Palo Alto Networks that alleges Palo Alto Networks’ appliances infringe on several of its patents.

The Court’s decision follows a trial which began February 24, 2014. A new trial date in the matter has not been scheduled.

Palo Alto Networks founders Nir Zuk and Yuming Mao are the named inventors of the patents being asserted against the company, as both Mao and Zuk were employed by NetScreen Technologies which was acquired by Juniper in April 2004. Zuk left Juniper and founded Palo Alto Networks in 2005 and was joined by Mao in 2006.

“Oral arguments concluded on March 4 on three of the patents. The jury has been unable to unanimously reach a verdict and therefore the court declared a mistrial today,” a Juniper company spokesperson told SecurityWeek in an emailed statement. “Juniper brought the suit in order to protect our intellectual property and investment in innovation; while we wish this jury had been able to reach a unanimous conclusion, we look forward to presenting our case to a new jury in the near future.”

Shares of Palo Alto Networks jumped over 11% in trading late Friday, closing at $77.12 per share.

“From the outset, we said we would vigorously defend the Company against Juniper’s lawsuit,” said Mark McLaughlin, president and chief executive officer of Palo Alto Networks. “We continue to stand by our position that we do not infringe on their patents and are committed to delivering innovation and providing the network security market with disruptive technologies.”