Feb 12 (Reuters) – Apple gained a protection verdict on Thursday in a lawsuit by intellectual-property administration firm Optis Wi-fi, which had accused the tech large of violating its patent rights in 4G LTE wi-fi expertise.
Optis had gained verdicts of $506 million and $300 million towards Apple in earlier trials within the long-running case in Marshall, Texas. Each verdicts have been later overturned on enchantment.
An Optis spokesperson stated on Friday that the corporate would enchantment the Thursday verdict.
“Apple’s said technique is to devalue and delay paying for the underlying patented expertise of the innovation it depends on to supply excessive pace LTE communications,” the spokesperson stated. “Whereas we respect the jury’s choice, we’re extremely upset by this consequence.”
“We thank the jury for his or her time, and we’re happy they rejected Optis’ false claims,” an Apple spokesperson stated. “Optis makes no merchandise, and its sole enterprise is to sue firms, which it has performed repeatedly to Apple in an try and receive an extreme payout.”
An Optis spokesperson didn’t instantly reply to a request for touch upon the decision.
Plano, Texas-based Optis and its associates sued Apple in 2019, arguing that the tech large’s iPhones and different merchandise violated their patent rights in expertise associated to the 4G LTE wi-fi commonplace. Apple has denied the allegations and argued the patents are invalid.
A jury present in 2020 that Apple owed $506 million for infringing Optis’ patents. U.S. District Choose Rodney Gilstrap ordered a brand new trial on damages in 2021 after discovering the award might not have been according to Optis’ duty to license the patents on honest and affordable phrases.
A brand new jury awarded Optis $300 million in damages after a retrial later that yr. The U.S. Court docket of Appeals for the Federal Circuit overturned that verdict final yr, discovering Gilstrap had improperly worded the jury verdict type by combining the entire patents at challenge right into a single infringement query.
A U.Ok. court docket individually dominated final yr that Apple owes Optis $502 million for infringing Optis’ UK wi-fi patents. The U.Ok. Supreme Court docket is scheduled to listen to an enchantment from Apple in June.
(Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington; Modifying by Chizu Nomiyama)