Apple loses appeal in 4G patent dispute with Optis

The Court of Appeal in London has dismissed the appeal brought by the tech giant against Optis, a US company that holds standard-essential patents for 4G.

This ruling comes after a long-running legal dispute between Apple and Optis that began in 2019, when Optis filed a lawsuit against Apple alleging it had infringed telecommunications patents related to 4G technology used in iPhones and iPads.

In March 2022, the London High Court ruled that Apple was infringing two essential patents. In May, Apple appealed this decision claiming that these patents were not necessary for 4G standards and that they had not infringed them.

Last Tuesday 4 July, the London Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal lodged by Apple, ending the intellectual property dispute in favour of Optis. Furthermore, the UK Supreme Court agreed in June to consider whether Optis was entitled to an “immediate injunction” against Apple once the courts have found the patents valid.