Apple must pay WiLAN $ 85 million for patent infringement

A San Diego jury has ruled that Apple must pay WiLAN $ 85 million in royalties for patent infringement.

A jury in San Diego, California said that Apple must pay WiLan a total of $ 85 million for patent infringement, as reported by Bloomberg .

The two patents behind this infringement case concern ways to make phone calls and download data simultaneously. One is for a ” method and apparatus for bandwidth request protocols in a wireless communication system “, while the other is for ” adaptive call admission control for use in a wireless communication system “.

Last year, WiLan, which is a Quarterhill company, received $ 145 million in its patent infringement lawsuit against Apple. The iPhone maker claimed that WiLan used an incorrect method to determine damages based on iPhone sales, an argument that Judge Sabraw agreed upon, prompting him to quash the ruling. WiLan was told to accept a recalculated amount of $ 10 million or to hold a new lawsuit. He opted for the latter of the two options.

WiLan was founded in 1992 with the goal of developing wireless technology, but in 2006 the company changed its strategy to become a patent owned entity. The company describes itself as ” one of the most successful patent licensing companies in the world “, with the aim of helping ” companies unlock the value of intellectual property by managing and licensing their patent portfolios “.

As Bloomberg points out, the licenses accounted for ” over half of Quarterhill’s $ 107.6 million in sales in the first nine months ” of 2018.

WiLan sued Apple in 2014, claiming that the iPhone 6 and iPhone 7 infringed those patents . Apple claimed that WiLan has not currently assessed the value of the technology in its iPhones and that WiLan has not provided sufficient evidence to the jury in the case.

What will come next in this process remains to be seen, but for now, Apple will have to pay $ 85 million.