Apple have been ordered to pay $825 millions for patent infringement by non-practicing entity (Patent Troll) Smartflash LLC.
http://www.neowin.net/news/apple-ord...t-infringement
Quote:
“The patents, held by Smartflash LLC, relate to digital rights management, data storage and access through payment systems. They were seemingly infringed upon by Apple’s iTunes and some of the apps found in the App Store, though the plaintiff also mentioned the Mac App Store, and iAd as avenues for infringement.
Smartflash, a company that doesn’t produce anything and lives by litigation and licensing of its seven patents, argued that it deserved to be awarded $825 million in damages, as a percent of iPhone sales. Apple on the other hand argued that the patents were invalid, and even if they weren’t, they’d be worth around $4.5 million at best.
The jury found in favor of Smartflash and awarded the company damages of just above half a billion dollars. One the company’s strongest arguments was that a current Apple exec had seen the technology that his company copied, nearly a decade ago.”
“The patents, held by Smartflash LLC, relate to digital rights management, data storage and access through payment systems. They were seemingly infringed upon by Apple’s iTunes and some of the apps found in the App Store, though the plaintiff also mentioned the Mac App Store, and iAd as avenues for infringement.
Smartflash, a company that doesn’t produce anything and lives by litigation and licensing of its seven patents, argued that it deserved to be awarded $825 million in damages, as a percent of iPhone sales. Apple on the other hand argued that the patents were invalid, and even if they weren’t, they’d be worth around $4.5 million at best.
The jury found in favor of Smartflash and awarded the company damages of just above half a billion dollars. One the company’s strongest arguments was that a current Apple exec had seen the technology that his company copied, nearly a decade ago.”
http://www.neowin.net/news/apple-ord...t-infringement




