A Texas jury has ordered Apple to pay out just under $533 million in a patent infringement case brought by Smartflash LLC regarding technology that the company said iTunes used without permission. Apple had attempted to argue that the patents were invalid. The court ruled in Smartflash’s favor, but chose not to award the entire $852 million the software maker was seeking.
The patents in question were related to “data storage and managing access through payment systems,” according to Bloomberg. Several game developers who took advantage of the tech settled out of court last year, leaving Apple to stand against Smartflash alone.
Apple tried to get out of paying any royalties at all by arguing that the infringed features weren’t the reason people bought iPhones, saying, “People do not buy cell phones for the sole purpose of using apps.”
Smartflash isn’t just going after Apple, though. Now that this case has concluded, the company is reportedly planning to go after Korean smartphone manufacturer Samsung. The company owns only seven patents, the licensing fees for which constitute its only income.
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Bleeding the cash cow.
dammit, a patent troll wins this day
Patent Troll’s – The worst kind of companies that create nothing. Just buy patent rights and sue others.
Texas courts such as this should be done away with.
The patent troll is headquartered in Tyler, Texas, where the jury trial took place. It’ll be overturned on appeal.
“Smartflash isn’t just going after Apple, though. Now that this case has concluded, the company is reportedly planning to go after Korean smartphone manufacturer Samsung. The company owns only seven patents, the licensing fees for which constitute its only income.”