Third Optis jury trial results in a victory for Apple in the US
Summary
A US jury ruled that Apple did not infringe on Optis' LTE patents, concluding a lengthy legal battle. This decision follows the overturning of a previous verdict that could have cost Apple $300 million in damages.
Key Insights
What are standard-essential patents (SEPs) and FRAND terms?
Standard-essential patents (SEPs) are patents that must be used to comply with a technical standard like LTE for 4G networks. Owners of SEPs are obligated to license them on fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms to ensure widespread adoption of the standard.
Why did this case go to three jury trials?
The first trial in 2020 awarded Optis $506 million, but Apple won a new damages trial due to lack of FRAND evidence. The second trial awarded $300 million, but the Federal Circuit vacated it due to a flawed verdict form violating jury unanimity and other errors, leading to the third trial where Apple prevailed on non-infringement.