A federal jury in Texas has ruled that Apple Inc, the technology company made famous by its distinctive product design and founding leader Steve Jobs, did not infringe five wireless technology patents owned by a Canadian patent licensing firm – Conversant Intellectual Property Management Inc.
In 2012, Core Wireless Licensing Sarl, a subsidiary of Conversant, sued Apple in a federal court in Texas, stating that the technology firm unlawfully used its patents for wireless data transmission capability in its iPhones and iPads.
The company, which obtained patents that had originally been held by Nokia Corp, sought $100mn in damages at the trial, claiming that it was owed a portion of profits from Apple’s device sales and future sales of devices that used the same technology.
Conversant acquired Core Wireless and its 2,000 Nokia patents (and additional patent applications) in 2011, with Microsoft Corp also having a licence to the patents as part of an agreement.
The jury took five hours to make a decision before delivering its verdict on Monday night, dismissing claims of patent infringement.
Apple Inc often has to defend itself from lawsuits filed against it.
Last month, the company was ordered to pay $532.9mn, in one of the largest patent verdicts in recorded history, after a court found that the company’s iTunes software infringed three patents owned by patent licensing firm Smartflash LLC.