Apple ordered to pay PanOptis $506 million for ‘willfully infringing’ LTE patents

While Apple has come out victorious over the years in a variety of patent battles, sometimes that’s not always the case. Today, for instance, the company has been ordered to fork over millions of dollars in a loss.

Law360 has the report for us on Tuesday. A federal jury in Texas has ruled that Apple must pay $506 million to PanOptis and “related companies” for “willfully infringing” a variety of patents that cover 4G LTE technology. According to the jury, Apple failed to come up with any convincing reasons or proof that PanOptis’ patent claims were invalid, and, as a result, Apple infringed upon them.

The verdict form says that the $506 million ties directly to royalty tied to past sales.

PanOptis’ argument through all of this was that Apple infringed upon the patents when it included LTE connectivity in various products, including the iPhone, the iPad, and the Apple Watch. The company first filed the lawsuit against Apple way back in February of 2019. As far as those related companies, those include sister companies Optis Cellular Technology, Unwired Planet, Optis Wireless Technology, and Unwired Planet International — all of which will be getting a chunk of the change Apple has to pay up.

It’s worth noting that these companies are what’s considered “patent trolls”. They sit on different patents and generate revenue through litigation, much like the one Apple is currently facing.

Also, Apple will most probably, definitely, appeal this decision.