It can be safe to say that Apple and patent infringements seem to go hand in hand. Ever since the company has gained momentum, it has been accused of unlawfully using intellectual property.
In the most recent case, Maxell, a Japan based tech company has accused Apple of infringing over 10 different patents registered under his name. These patents include features like passcode unlocking, WiFi assist, mobile communications, facial recognition in the Photos app, and more in major major Apple products like mobile devices, tablets, smartwatches, and laptop computers.
Maxell filed a complaint with the United States International Trade Commission (USITC) on July 17th, 2020 under Section 377 of the Tariff Act of 1930 mentioning importation into the US and sale of certain mobile electronic devices and laptop computers that infringe patents. Maxell has also requested the USITC to issue a limited exclusion order and a cease and desist order.
In another case, the Chinese artificial intelligence company Shanghai Zhizhen Intelligent Network Technology Co Ltd, also known as Xiao-i, has against filed a lawsuit against Apple alleging them of infringing their AI as Siri which is the voice recognition technology belonging to the latter. The suit has been filed seeking $1.4 billion in a Chinese court after the Supreme People's Court had concluded that Apple does not infringe Xiao-i Robot's technology in July. The suit was filed back in 2012 and has been going on since for a patent filed in 2004 and received in 2009.
This happened just 2 weeks after Apple was ordered by a Federal Jury in Texas to pay $506.2 Million as royalty to the plaintiffs Optis Cellular Technology, LLC; Unwired Planet, LLC; PanOptis Patent Management, LLC; and Optis Wireless Technology, LLC, which all share the same Dallas address and another plaintiff, Unwired Planet International Limited based in Dublin, Ireland. The complaint was filed in February 2019, alleging Apple of infringing the patents by offering 4G LTE capability on the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. The plaintiffs mentioned that they had been unsuccessfully and repeatedly trying to reach an agreement for a global license under terms that were fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory, called FRAND.
However, Apple is likely to repeal this case and said that such companies accumulate patents simply to harass the industry and this serves only as a way to stifle innovation and harm consumers.
PanOptic has also fought a similar case with Huawei, which ended in a post-trial settlement in February after a $13.2 million judgment in PanOptis' favor.
In the ongoing Apple versus WiLAN saga, the former might have to pay over $109 million. The notice was served by WiLAN back in 2014 accusing Apple of infringing over 6 of their patents, two of the most important ones being related to WiFi calling. The entire amount is yet to be decided
These are just a few cases among many against Apple. It still cannot be stipulated whether all the patent infringement allegations against Apple are purely hoarded up patents that are nothing but ways to extract money or whether the trillion dollar company deliberately tries to find a way around existing patents, implementing them without paying a license fee or royalties.
