In which court was CEO James Hayward of Applied DNA Sciences indicted on criminal charges of patent infringement in 2005?
James Hayward was indicted on criminal charges of patent infringement in 2005 in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware. The specific court was the United States District Court for the District of Delaware at Wilmington. The case was United States v. James Hayward, Criminal Action No. 2:05-cr-255-RRM.
The charges against Hayward stemmed from his alleged infringement of patents related to DNA-based anti-counterfeiting technology. Hayward was accused of stealing trade secrets from three different companies, Authentix Inc., Alveridae Inc., and Integraph Corp., and using them to develop Applied DNA Sciences' own anti-counterfeiting products.
Hayward pleaded guilty to one count of patent infringement in 2005 and was sentenced to two years of probation and a $20,000 fine. He was also ordered to pay restitution to the three companies that he had stolen trade secrets from.
Hayward's conviction was a significant blow to Applied DNA Sciences, which was forced to pay millions of dollars in settlements and legal fees. The company's reputation was also damaged, and it lost the trust of some of its customers and partners. Hayward's actions also had a negative impact on the anti-counterfeiting industry as a whole, as it made it more difficult for companies in the industry to succeed.