Google to pay $20 million after loss in Nest thermostat patent trial
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Google (GOOG
-1.7%, GOOGL
-1.8%) has lost a patent trial over its Nest thermostats, but will pay just $20 million in the case.
A federal jury in Waco, Texas, found that Google infringed a patent owned by closely held EcoFactor over ways to reduce peak demand to make thermostats more efficient.

The jury found Google didn't infringe on a second EcoFactor patent in question.
EcoFactor had demanded $5.16 for every Nest unit sold between January 2020 and January 2022 - a total of $29 million. Google responded that it came up with its features independently - and in case of violation, a royalty above $0.22/unit was too much.
Elsewhere in Google legal, Russia's antitrust agency (the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service) has determined that YouTube violated Russian antitrust law by blocking and suspending accounts and content on the service.
It's set to determine a fine later during an administrative investigation.
Earlier this week, BofA said Google's decision to split its stock is an indication that management is getting more shareholder-friendly.