Why Amphion Innovations is up 200%

Amphion Innovations, an investor in early stage life science and technology companies and university spin-outs, has rocketed 200% after a US court ruled in its favour over an ongoing patent infringement case.

A case brought by Amphion's subsidiary DataTern Inc alleged infringement of its so-called "502 Patent" by MicroStrategy Inc and several other defendants. The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts had previously ruled against DataTern, but the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has overturned the decision.

"This result confirms our view that the '502 Patent' has been infringed," said Amphion chief Richard Morgan. "The '502 Patent' is directed to how object oriented software applications access data stored in a relational database. Such applications are widely used and most databases in use today are relational databases."

"We continue to believe that companies that are using or want to use our patented technology will wish to enter into equitable licensing agreements. Our goal remains to generate a fair and reasonable return on the very substantial investment we have made over many years in the development of this innovative technology."

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The case now goes back to the District Court where DataTern can continue its claim against MicroStrategy, a seller of business intelligence and analytics software platforms used by other defendants.

Amphion shares have declined steadily since 2006, a year after it listed on AIM at 25p. They closed at 1.12p on Monday night, but traded as high as 3.35p Tuesday morning.

This article is for information and discussion purposes only and does not form a recommendation to invest or otherwise. The value of an investment may fall. The investments referred to in this article may not be suitable for all investors, and if in doubt, an investor should seek advice from a qualified investment adviser.