#24: Apple hit with patent suit over simultaneous voice and data
Apple is once again being taken to court for alleged patent infringement, as non-practicing entity Wyncomm claims the iPhone and iPad are in violation of a 16-year old AT&T patent pertaining to simultaneous voice and data transmission.
Patent holding company Wyncomm filed the suit in a Delaware district court on Thursday, alleging Apple's cellular products are in infringement of a Wi-Fi related patent. The complaint is targeting an Apple product features that allows a user to make a phone call and use Wi-Fi data at the same time.
The patent-in-suit, U.S. Patent No. 5,506,866 for "Side-channel communications in simultaneous voice and data transmission," was originally an AT&T invention granted protection by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 1996.
As noted by The Essential Patent Blog, the property changed hands multiple times, including ownership by Lucent, AT&T subsidiary Paradyne, and two patent holding companies, before ending up with Wyncomm. The NPE, or "patent troll," is also asserting the same patent against Acer, ASUSTek, Blu Products, Bonac Innovation, and Casio, with complaint all filed on the same day.
Never thought that this could happen, but patents usually last for 17-20 years anyways. I'd like to see how this changes the GSM/CDMA landscape in years to come.
ReplyDeleteIs this a Standard Essential Patent? It seems to have far reaching effect over voice and data.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think this patent seems too overreaching today. With data and wifi being an everyday thing, asserting this patent 16 years later demonstrates another deficiency in the patent system, being that granting a monopoly on emerging technologies should not last very long.
ReplyDeleteSo it's a smaller company looking to take down Apple? That's interesting... I wonder whether they think they would stand a chance, financially. Certainly I think Apple has so much positive cash flow that this is viewed is a small nuisance to their regular program. But other than that I don't think they'll be significantly affected by this.
ReplyDeleteIt makes sense though as to why this patent switched ownership multiple times. With a patent that deals with simultaneous voice and data transmission, a capability used in all current smartphone trends and improving, this must be a patent that could be welded against many other companies.
ReplyDeleteI think it makes sense to target larger companies. Sometimes they don't even bother and give the money to the NPE's. It obviously depends on how much they are asking of course
ReplyDeleteThis patent seems ridiculous to try and assert in today's world, where more and more mobile phones possess this capability. Moreover, how can a technology patent hold up for sixteen years and still have relevancy? Something seems strange about this suit.
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