Apple scores legal win as $300 million patent verdict is overturned

Apple

Apple has secured a significant victory in its long-running legal battle with Optis Wireless Technology, after a US appeals court overturned a $300 million damages award tied to alleged LTE patent infringement. The ruling, issued Monday by the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, means the case will head back to Texas for a fresh trial — again, according to a report by Reuters.

The saga began in 2019 when Optis, a Texas-based intellectual property firm, sued Apple for infringing several LTE-related standard-essential patents (SEPs), which must be licensed on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms. A 2020 jury initially awarded Optis $506 million, but that verdict was tossed by District Judge Rodney Gilstrap due to concerns over the FRAND obligations.

A second trial followed, awarding Optis $300 million — but Apple appealed again. This time, the Federal Circuit didn’t take issue with the damages figure itself, but with how the jury was instructed. According to the ruling, bundling multiple patents into a single infringement question deprived Apple of its right to a unanimous verdict on each claim.

As a result, the entire case — both the infringement question and damages — will be retried.

Meanwhile, a related but separate lawsuit in the UK recently ended with Apple being ordered to pay Optis around $502 million for similar LTE patent issues. Apple is appealing that decision too, and while the UK and U.S. cases are independent, this reversal could bolster Apple’s confidence.

Optis responded to the US ruling, saying it remains “highly confident” that Apple will ultimately be required to pay fair compensation. It emphasised that no patents were found invalid and welcomed a new damages trial.