U.S. Bank ordered to pay $53 million in check-imaging lawsuit: A federal judge has ordered U.S. Bancorp to pay $53.2 million for infringing a patent held by Plano, Texas-based Data Treasury Corp. Eastern Texas’ U.S. District Judge David Folsom on Monday ordered a $26.6 million judgment entered by a jury doubled, ruling that enhanced damages would “more effectively punish the willful infringement.” The jury found Minneapolis-based U.S. Bank and check processor Viewpointe Archive Services infringed a check-imaging patent held by DataTreasury. Read full story
Itasca Project defends $400,000 position: The Itasca Project, which is pushing to form a regional economic development group, wants to pay its first leader $350,000 to $450,000. And some government officials, who are being asked to chip in to Itasca’s budget, aren’t too happy about it. A Star Tribune story today cited Twin Cities officials who questioned the compensation for the group’s CEO position, with some calling it too high. The figure is just a possible range, said Kathy Schmidlkofer, a General Mills executive who is helping set up the independent economic development entity. Read full story
Apogee glass reflecting ‘death ray’ on Las Vegas sunbathers: Sun reflecting off of a Las Vegas hotel —and glass made by a Minnesota company — is cooking tourists with what hotel employees call (not entirely seriously) a “death ray.” The Vdara Hotel at CityCenter, a newly opened development along the Las Vegas Strip, was designed for high-energy efficiency, and part of that design means keeping out the desert sun with high-tech, reflective glass made by Bloomington-based Apogee Enterprises. But the hotel’s curved, mirror-like southern wall appears to be focusing an intense beam of sunlight on the pool area below, reflecting energy reportedly hot enough to melt plastic cups and singe tourists’ hair. Read full story
