You win some, and you lose some.
A jury in the Eastern District of Texas ruled Tuesday that Apple owes PanOptics $506.2 million following willful infringement of 4G LTE patents. The ruling stated that Apple failed to prove any of the patent claims were invalid.
The case focused on five patents regarding 4G LTE capability on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. PanOptics said it encouraged Apple to take a license, but Apple did not negotiate in good faith.
Apple has stated its plans to appeal the verdict:
We thank the jury for their time but are disappointed with the verdict and plan to appeal. Lawsuits like this by companies who accumulate patents simply to harass the industry only serve to stifle innovation and harm consumers.
There has been no public comment from PanOptis or either set of attorney at present. The case was also the first in-person jury patent trial since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via The Mac Observer and Law360