Apple has been ordered to pay $300 million in damages to Optis Wireless Technology for infringing a handful of the company’s patents related to 4G LTE technology, a Texas jury has ruled.
Reuters reports that back in August 2020, a jury found that Apple had infringed five wireless patents owned by Optis and awarded $506 million in damages, but a Texas judge vacated that award in April, ordering a new trial to focus only on damages.
US District Judge Rodney Gilstrap said the first jury was not able to determine if the award amount met FRAND (a fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory basis) terms.
PanOptis and its associated companies, Optis Wireless Technology, Optis Cellular Technology, Unwired Planet, and Unwired Planet International, are patent trolls, which are entities that do not sell products or services but hold patents used to generate revenue through patent litigation.
In a statement to Reuters, Apple said: “Optis makes no products and its sole business is to sue companies using patents they accumulate. We will continue to defend against their attempts to extract unreasonable payments for patents they acquire.”
