An eight-person Eastern District of Texas federal jury decided that Apple should pay PanOptis Patent Management LLC more than $506 million for patent infringement concerning its 4G LTE technology.
Over the years, Apple has won many and various patent battles. This time they lost.
Trial held in-person despite COVID pandemic
The trial was presided over by U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap and took place in Marshall, TX. Judge Gilstrap allowed the trial to move forward despite Apple’s objections that it was unsafe to proceed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
It is the first U.S. in-person patent case since the epidemic caused nationwide court closings.
The judge insisted the court was mitigating the risks by sanitizing facilities daily, requiring face shields, and conducting temperature checks. The number of attorneys at the counsel tables was also limited. Judge Gilstrap also allowed the video testimony of witnesses based in Europe.
“The task of balancing very real public health concerns against the right of the parties to resolve their far-reaching disputes is a challenge this court has not sought and does not relish,” the judge added with a touch of irony. “However, as Robert Frost admonished in A Servant to Servants, ‘the best way out is always through.'”
Disputed patents heart of LTE connection
PanOptis’ consistent argument was that Apple infringed upon its patents when it started building LTE connectivity into various products. The iPhone, the iPad, and the Apple Watch all use 4G LTE.
