BUSINESS BRIEFING / COURTS

DirecTV Group Inc. of El Segundo won a patent-infringement case brought in 2004 by Finisar Corp.

Finisar’s patent is invalid, a federal judge ruled in Beaumont, Texas. “Finisar shall take nothing from its claims” against DirecTV, U.S. District Judge Ron Clark wrote.

The dispute centered on technology that predicts which movies and shows pay-TV subscribers will request most and sends the programs to viewers on an announced schedule.

Finisar, based in Sunnyvale, Calif., was awarded $78.9 million on its claim after a 2006 jury trial, an amount increased by Clark to $117.3 million. In April 2008, an appeals court threw out the verdict and sent the case back for a new trial.