Judge considers tossing Databricks patent suit under California anti-SLAPP law

Databricks argues its lawsuit against Acacia Research Group over patent royalties should not be dismissed under California's anti-SLAPP law, claiming the case benefits users of Apache-licensed software. The dispute centers on a patent (U.S. Patent No. 8,190,610) originally filed by Yahoo and later acquired by R2 Solutions, a subsidiary of Acacia. Judge Harold Kahn suggested the claims might fall under protected activity, emphasizing the public interest exception is critical to Databricks' defense.