Maxell files suit against Apple over biometrics and other features

Electronics manufacturer Maxell has filed its third suit against Apple over alleged patent infringement by FaceTime and other device features related to biometrics, AppleInsider reports.

Filed with the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas Waco Division, the suit asks for compensation for the infringement of 13 patents “consistent with lost profits and in no event less than a reasonable royalty.”

These include biometrics and other technologies related to the iPhone and iPad cameras, microphones, GPS, screen, and more.

The patent directly referring to the iPhone’s biometric capabilities is the 10,418,069, describing the device’s feature that allows users to search images via facial recognition in the Photos app.

Like many patents in the new suit, the 10,418,069 is a continuation patent of patent number 10,176,848, which was cited by Maxell during a previous legal action in 2020. That suit, which followed another in 2019, has prompted an investigation by the U.S. International Trade Commission.

Included in the compensation costs requested by Maxell in the new filing are triple the damages and prejudgment interest on anything it receives, as well as legal expenses, costs, and attorneys fees.

The lawsuit from Maxell is not the first one filed against Apple in 2021. Early this month, the iPhone-maker was sued by Gesture Technology Partners for allegedly violating five patents related to mobile phone cameras with its Face ID biometrics.

Article Topics

Apple  |  biometrics  |  facial recognition  |  iPhone  |  lawsuit  |  patents