Apple has secured a major legal victory after a U.S. jury found that the company did not infringe on LTE patents owned by Texas-based Optis Wireless, ending a multi-year dispute that once threatened Apple with hundreds of millions in damages.
Jury Clears Apple of LTE Patent Claims
Reuters reported that Optis first sued Apple in 2019, claiming infringement of five LTE-related patents. In 2020, a jury initially awarded Optis $506 million, but Apple successfully appealed, arguing that the jury had not properly applied FRAND (fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory) standards when calculating damages.
A second trial in 2021 reduced the award to $300 million, but the Cupertino titan appealed again. The appeals court vacated that verdict due to flawed jury instructions, leading to a third trial that concluded with today's ruling in Apple's favor. With this decision, Apple owes Optis nothing.
Apple Reacts to the Verdict
In a statement spotted by 9to5Mac, Apple expressed satisfaction with the outcome and criticized Optis as a company that produces no products, focusing solely on litigation to extract settlements.
The UK Case Continues
While the U.S. dispute concludes favorably for Apple, the legal battle continues internationally. A UK court previously ordered the tech giant to pay $502 million to Optis. Apple has appealed, and the UK Supreme Court is set to hear the case in June 2026.
Although Optis may attempt to challenge the U.S. ruling, today's decision was a huge win for the smartphone maker.
In Brazil, the iPhone sideloading had been successfully pushed. This led to the comeback of "Fortnite" to iOS. Apple lost this anti-competition issue against its long-time lawsuit rival, Epic Games.
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