Apple Files Counterclaims vs Caltech; Settles Patent Dispute with Dot 23

MacRumors reports that Apple and its supplier Broadcom have jointly countersued the California Institute of Technology in an ongoing legal battle related to Wi-Fi. The two tech companies say patent infringement claims aren’t valid and urged the court to invalidate the patents Caltech asserted in the lawsuit.

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Apple’s argument was that Caltech doesn’t “make, use, or sell any products that practices any claim of the asserted patents”. Also, the lawsuit was filed in May 2016, and more than six years have passed since the publication of the 802.11n wireless standard. Therefore, the time limit for collecting damages has passed.

Caltech’s asserted patents (U.S. Patent Nos. 7,116,710, 7,421,032, 7,916,781, and 8,284,833) were granted between 2006 and 2012, and relate to technologies incorporated in both the 802.11n and 802.11ac Wi-Fi standards. These standards are used by many Apple products.

Caltech says various Mac, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch models violate its Wi-Fi-related patents. Apple and Broadcom demanded a jury trial in the lawsuit.

In a separate story, Apple has settled another patent infringement lawsuit, this time with Dot 23 Technologies. The latter claimed in a lawsuit filed against Apple in January that Siri infringed three of its voice dialing and recognition patents. MacRumors reports that Apple has settled the lawsuit, but financial terms weren’t disclosed.

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