A Desmarais team has won a $44.9 million verdict from a Delaware jury that found Zynga violated IBM-held patents for technology used in several popular interactive games such as Empires & Puzzles, Crosswords With Friends and Farmville 2 and 3.

At the close of a weeklong trial in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, the eight-member jury on Sept. 13 found Zynga infringed on two IBM patents related to in-game features and advertisements. It awarded IBM $40 million for infringing U.S. Patent No. 7,072,849 and $4.9 million for violating U.S. Patent No. 7,702,719.