Supreme Court Tells Apple To Take A Hike In Qualcomm Patent Dispute
On: June 28, 2022
Apple has been denied hearings by the Supreme Court over two Qualcomm patents that have been a part of lawsuits filed in 2017. Apple requested the hearings to doubtlessly invalidate the 2 patents, which performed a significant position in Qualcomm’s 2017 try and ban iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watch gross sales.
Qualcomm and Apple duked it out in court docket a number of years in the past regarding what Qualcomm thought of patent infringements by Apple. A jury within the U.S. District Court for the South District of California ended up discovering that various iPhone fashions (iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X) did in truth infringe in various levels on three Qualcomm patents. Apple was ordered to pay Qualcomm $31 million {dollars}, which in all probability didn’t even cowl the authorized charges the corporate incurred.
While that ought to have been the top of the authorized battle, Apple was nonetheless involved it might as soon as once more be sued over two patents that it argued ought to be invalid. The Patent and Trademark Office’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board present in favor of Qualcomm following the 2019 court docket choice, so Apple turned to the Federal Circuit court docket for assist.
Image Credit: Jess Bailey from Pixabay
The Federal Circuit court docket rejected Apple’s request for an attraction final April, primarily based on the 2019 settlement which coated hundreds of patents, together with the 2 in query. The argument Apple offered said that its royalty funds and threat of being sued once more have been sufficient to warrant a listening to.
Apple didn’t cease there, and appealed that call to the Supreme Court, where Apple said Qualcomm may nonetheless use the patents in a lawsuit as soon as once more when the license expires in 2025, or in 2027 whether it is prolonged. The Department of Justice submitted an amicus transient that rejected the arguments, and requested that the Supreme Court accomplish that as properly, which it now has.
The cloud of uncertainty about what both firm will do as soon as the licensing deal expires in 2025/2027 will seemingly stay shrouded in thriller. Apple has been rumored to be working by itself 5G modems, which may substitute the Qualcomm modems the corporate has been utilizing as early as 2023. Those curious of whether or not or not Apple’s worry of future lawsuits will come to fruition will merely have to attend to seek out out.
