5 days ago
Apple owes $110 million in wireless tech patent case, US jury says
July 1 (Reuters) - Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab must pay a Spanish patent owner more than $110.7 million in damages for infringing a patent related to wireless communications technology, a Delaware federal jury said in a verdict made public on Tuesday.
The jury agreed with TOT Power Control, opens new tab that wireless chips in Apple's iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches violated TOT's patent rights in technology used in the 3G wireless standard.
An Apple spokesperson said that the company was disappointed with the verdict and plans to appeal.
TOT CEO Alvaro Lopez-Medrano said in a statement that the company was "thrilled that its fundamental cellular power saving technology has been validated by a jury in Delaware."
Lopez-Medrano, a Spanish engineer, formed TOT to license technology he invented for managing "how power is used to respond to decreases and increases in the ratio of radio signal to interference," according to TOT's 2021 complaint. TOT's lawsuit said that Apple's mobile devices include transceivers that use its patented technology without a license.
Apple denied the allegations and argued that the patents were invalid. The jury found that Apple infringed one of the two TOT patents at issue in the case.
TOT has filed similar lawsuits against mobile-device makers LG and Samsung in Delaware that are still ongoing.
The case is TOT Power Control SL v. Apple Inc, U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, No. 1:21-cv-01302.
For TOT: Denise De Mory, Elizabeth Day, Corey Johanningmeier and Tara Zurawski of Bunsow De Mory
For Apple: Jeff Castellano of DLA Piper
