Apple ordered to pay $ 145 million in yet another patent dispute

That Apple it is involved in a mess of patent-related legal fights, not new. This time, the one who disputed with Ma in the courts was the (already known) Canadian WiLAN, an intellectual property licensing company that registers patents subsidizes the company Quarterhill.

According to the Reuters, the jury in the case that took place in San Diego, California, determined that Apple is responsible for infringing patents 8,457,145 and 8,537,757, related to wireless communication technology on the iPhone. Of these, one refers to a “method of requesting protocol and broadband in a wireless communication system”, while the other refers to “adaptive connection control used in a wireless communication system”.

For these infractions, Apple was ordered to pay $ 145 million (approximately R $ 543 million) in damages for the Canadian company, which describes itself as "one of the most successful patent licensing companies in the world". WiLAN also published a note commenting on the verdict.

The dispute between the two companies in today. In fact, the fight for patent infringement started in 2010, when Ma and 24 other companies were sued over WiLAN for violating protocols registered by the company related to Bluetooth technology. The following year, the Canadian took Ma back to court, this time disputing patents related to CDMA, HSPA, Wi-Fi and LTE technologies.

For the next two years, WiLAN continued to sue Ma for patent infringements. In a case registered in 2013, the Cupertino giant was sued for $ 248 million, but the jury determined that Apple was innocent.

Regarding this year's lawsuit, Apple has yet to release a note about the court decision but it will most likely (and will) appeal.

via 9to5Mac