Jury Still Weighing Unocal Patent Lawsuit

A U.S. District Court jury in Los Angeles continued to deliberate in a civil case involving Unocal Corp. and its broad, disputed patent for reformulated gasoline. The jury received the case on Sept. 25. Six oil companies are seeking to invalidate Unocal’s patent for cleaner-burning gasoline and to stop Unocal from collecting royalties. El Segundo-based Unocal countersued to prevent other oil companies from violating its patent. Unocal has not revealed what it would demand in royalties if it won. Industry watchers have said that any per-gallon royalty probably would be passed along to consumers.