Apple v. Optis Cellular Technology
Apple must pay a U.S. patent holder $502 million for the use of 4G patents in devices including iPhones and iPads, London’s Court of Appeal ruled on Thursday, in the latest stage of a long-running legal battle.
Texas-based Optis Cellular Technology LLC sued Apple in London in 2019 over its use of patents which Optis says are essential to certain technological standards, such as 4G.
Apple has unsurprisingly responded by promising to appeal the court’s decision, to which Optis insisted it will fight to defend its intellectual property.
Optis provided Engadget with the following statement:
“We’re pleased the UK Court of Appeals has recognized and corrected a clearly flawed prior ruling and has made meaningful progress toward affirming the true value of our patents to Apple devices. In addition to ordering payment that exceeds $700 million with interest and fees, the Court has judged that ‘Apple’s significant negotiating strength leads some parties to agree lower rates than would be agreed between a willing licensor/willing licensee’ thereby gaining an unfair advantage. We will continue to ensure fair compensation for the Optis intellectual property that enables high-speed connectivity for millions of devices around the world.”
See also: Patently Apple.
Previously:
- Apple Watch Sales Paused Over Masimo Patent
- Third Victory for VirnetX in FaceTime Patent Case
- After Patent Loss, Apple Makes FaceTime Worse
Update (2025-06-18): Juli Clover:
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit today threw out a prior jury verdict that would have forced Apple to pay $300 million for infringing on standard-essential LTE patents owned by Optis.
When appealing the initial ruling from the Eastern District Court of Texas, Apple argued that the court had not fairly separated the different patent claims that it allegedly violated, and only asked the jurors to determine if Apple violated any patents. The federal appeals court agreed with Apple, and said that the district court ruling provided incorrect jury instructions and violated Apple’s Seventh Amendment right to a jury trial on each patent infringement claim.
Apple and Optis will now return to court for another jury trial in the Eastern District of Texas.
Update (2026-02-20): Juli Clover:
Apple did not infringe on any patents owned by Texas-based company Optis Wireless, a jury ruled today. In a verdict shared by Reuters, the jury decided that Apple did not infringe any of the five LTE patents that Optis sued over back in 2019.
[…]
Optis is likely to appeal the ruling, sending it back to the appeals court again. Apple is also fighting Optis in the UK, where a UK court ordered Apple to pay $502 million. Apple appealed the decision and the UK Supreme Court will hear the case in June 2026.
