Apple Denied Victory in London Court Case Against Optis Over 4G Patent Rights: Report
On Tuesday, the Court of Appeal in London ruled that Apple Inc has violated two telecommunications patents that are utilized in their devices such as iPhones and iPads. The court dismissed the appeal made by the tech giant, thus concluding a lengthy dispute with a U.S. patent holder.
Texas-based Optis Cellular Technology LLC sued Apple in 2019 over the use of patents that Optis says are necessary for certain technical standards such as 4G.
The High Court in London ruled last year that two of Optis’ 4G patents were so-called standards-essential patents and that Apple had infringed them.
Apple appealed the decision in May, arguing that the two patents in question were not necessary for 4G standards and that it had not infringed the patents.
However, the Court of Appeal rejected that challenge, with Judge Colin Birss saying in a written decision that the High Court was “entitled to reject (Apple’s) non-infringement claim” and that the patent issue was material.
Apple and Optis did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tuesday’s ruling is the latest in a legal battle between Apple and Optis that began in 2019 and has spawned six separate lawsuits and several appeal hearings in Britain alone.
Last month, the Court of Appeal accepted Optis’ appeal against an earlier decision to invalidate two other 4G-related patents, after Optis is entitled to an injunction in October to prevent Apple from infringing its patents before the court has issued a decision on fairness. , reasonable and non-discriminatory terms of use.
Earlier this year, Apple received permission to appeal the October decision.
