Apple Accused of Violating Patented Wi-Fi Technologies by Caltech

California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has filed a legal complaint against Apple and Broadcom over alleged infringement of its various patented Wi-Fi-related technologies, MacRumors is reporting. The filing made with the U.S. District Court for Central California alleges that the Cupertino tech giant incorporated Caltech’s patented IRA/LDPC encoders and/or decoders in its products, infringing upon the four asserted patents in question.

Apple manufactures, uses, imports, offers for sale, and/or sells Wi-Fi products that incorporate IRA/LDPC encoders and/or decoders and infringe the Asserted Patents. Apple products that incorporate IRA/LDPC encoders and/or decoders and infringe the Asserted Patents include, but are not limited to, the following: iPhone SE, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 5c, iPhone 5s, iPhone 5, iPad Air, iPad Air 2, iPad Pro, iPad Mini 4, iPad Mini 3, iPad Mini 2, MacBook Air [and] Apple Watch.

Caltech’s patents relate to IRA/LDPC codes that utilize simpler encoding and decoding circuitry for improved data transmission rates and performance. The technologies are implemented in both the 802.11n and 802.11ac Wi-Fi standards used by many Apple products. Broadcom, as one of Apple’s main suppliers of Wi-Fi chips, is also named in the complaint.

Broadcom’s Wi-Fi products that incorporate IRA/LDPC encoders and decoders and infringe the Asserted Patents were incorporated into Apple’s key products including iPhones, iPads, and Mac computers. […] Broadcom and Apple are jointly and severally liable for infringement of the Asserted Patents.

Apple has recently pulled stock of its AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule Wi-Fi base stations from its U.S. stores, though it isn’t yet clear whether the move is related to the filing.