The jury said Apple couldn’t disprove PanOptis’ challenged patent claims. According to the jury, Apple failed to come up with any proof or reason that PanOptis’ patent claims were invalid.
They added that Apple “willfully infringed” on the patents. The $506.2 million amount is estimated royalties for past sales, according to the verdict form.
PanOptis said that Apple refused to negotiate in good faith to take a license. The patents are held jointly by the related plaintiff companies. All of them will share in the settlement.
It’s worth noting that these companies are sometimes called “patent trolls” by tech insiders. Companies like PanOptis purchase different patents for speculation and generate revenue through litigation when there is an infringement. Like the court battle Apple just faced.
Apple issued a statement saying, “We thank the jury for their time but are disappointed with the verdict and plan to appeal. Lawsuits like this by companies who accumulate patents simply to harass the industry only serve to stifle innovation and harm consumers.”
