Apple perhaps should have stuck to the 2023 judgment in which the English courts sided with Optis: at the time, the fine was "only" $56 million. But the American manufacturer appealed, and the verdict of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales is even more bloody.
The Supreme Court as a last resort
The court ordered Apple to pay a lump sum of $502 million to the plaintiff, plus interest that could exceed $200 million! The company has one last resort to avoid signing that big check: the country's Supreme Court. But a review of the case is not certain, as the country's highest court only accepts cases when they raise major legal questions or public interest issues.
Optis Cellular Technology is a Texas-based company whose business is to monetize patent catalogs. It is what is known in the jargon as a "patent troll," a company that seeks to extract licenses for its patents from manufacturers. In this case, the patents concern 4G, covering a period from 2013 to 2017. The first complaint in London dates back to 2019.
Apple had defended itself by claiming that the price of the licenses requested by Optis was unreasonable and did not comply with the internationally adopted FRAND ("fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory") principles. To no avail. The manufacturer even went so far as to threaten to leave the British market if convicted, before reversing this somewhat radical position.
Apple says it is "disappointed" by the ruling and intends to appeal. The Cupertino group is definitely not having a good time at the moment: yesterday, the American justice system crucified Apple in the case against Epic Games.
Source: Reuters
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