sandy
A Texas court docket has ordered Apple to pay greater than $500 million (roughly Rs. 3,742 crores) in damages and curiosity for 4G patent infringements held by mental property firm PanOptis.
The US tech big — now price virtually $2 trillion (roughly Rs. 1,49,70,000 crores) — vowed to attraction Tuesday’s resolution.
“We thank the jury for his or her time however are disenchanted with the decision and plan to attraction,” Apple stated in an e mail response to an AFP inquiry.
“Lawsuits like this by firms who accumulate patents merely to harass the trade solely serve to stifle innovation and hurt shoppers.”
PanOptis, which specialises in licensing patents, took Apple to court docket in February final yr, claiming it refused to pay for the usage of 4G LTE applied sciences in its smartphones, tablets, and watches.
“The complainant’s have repeatedly negotiated with Apple to achieve an settlement for a FRAND license to the complainant’s patent portfolios which Apple is infringing,” the court docket submitting learn.
FRAND refers to phrases which are “honest, affordable, and non-discriminatory” and is the IT trade normal for know-how use.
“The negotiations have been unsuccessful as a result of Apple refuses to pay a FRAND royalty to the complainant’s license.”
Apple argued unsuccessfully that the patents had been invalid, in line with authorized publications.
The case is certainly one of many patent fits from licensing corporations that make no merchandise however maintain rights to sure applied sciences. Critics name these corporations “patent trolls.”
Patent fits are sometimes filed in states the place jurors have been discovered extra inclined to rule in opposition to Silicon Valley giants.
The Texas court docket has twice dominated in opposition to Apple prior to now, demanding it pay tons of of thousands and thousands of {dollars} to VirnetX — one other firm specialising in patent litigation.
On its web site, PanOptis gives to handle its shoppers’ patents, permitting them to focus on “innovation and new growth.”
