SmartSky wins $22.7M in patent case against Gogo

A federal judge has ordered Gogo Business Aviation to pay $22.7 million to SmartSky Networks for infringing a series of SmartSky patents tied to 5G in-flight WIFI. The verdict, handed down in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, found that Gogo violated patents covering ground-based transmissions designed to deliver 5G broadband service to aircraft, according to Advanced Television Ltd. Gogo strongly disputed the findings and said it would challenge the decision. "We are disappointed with today's verdict and respectfully disagree with the outcome," the company said in a statement to Advanced Television Ltd. "From the outset, we have maintained that Gogo's independently developed 5G technology does not infringe SmartSky's asserted patents, and their claims of patent protection are invalid." The company added that it believes the verdict is an attempt to stifle legitimate competition and innovation in the industry. Gogo also emphasized the ruling would not affect ongoing business. SmartSky Networks, which ceased operations in August of last year, filed the patent infringement lawsuit in 2022, claiming Gogo used its patented approach of using unlicensed spectrum to provide in-flight internet service."Gogo is unlawfully attempting to use SmartSky's own inventions to stifle SmartSky's ability to enter the market and compete," SmartSky President Ryan Stone said in a statement then.RELATED STORY:SmartSky asks courts to block Gogo's 5G service immediatelySmartSky had also filed a motion in 2022 asking the U.S. Federal Court in Delaware to stop Gogo from making, using, or selling Gogo 5G pending the results of the infringement suit. A judge denied that motion six months later. The 2025 ruling marks only one part of the legal dispute between the two companies. In a separate lawsuit, SmartSky is seeking up to $1 billion in damages, alleging illegal and abusive monopolistic practices in the air-to-ground broadband in-flight connectivity market for business aviation, hindering the company's ability to enter the market. That lawsuit was filed through the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina in 2024. SmartSKy said it was pursuing that case to protect innovation and seek justice for unfair business practices. GlobalAir.com has reached out to a Massachusetts-based?accounting firm?listed as a point of contact on SmartSky's website for comment, but had not heard back as of Monday evening. RELATED ARTICLES:SmartSky files $1B antitrust lawsuit against Gogo, alleges 'abusive' monopolistic practicesSmartSky ends business operationsCourt denies SmartSky's preliminary injunction against Gogo