Apple must pay $300 million in royalties following a retrial in a patent dispute, a Texas jury determined Friday, Reuters Reports.
The jury found that Apple should pay patent company Optis Wireless Technology and its related companies because the technology Apple used in its iPhones, iPads, and Watches allegedly infringed Optis’ patents.
“A jury in Texas awarded $300 million in damages to Optis Wireless and its constellation of companies, to be paid by Apple because the 4G/LTE tech in its iPhones, iPads, and Watches were deemed to have infringed Optis’ communications patents,” reports The Registrar.
Last year, a jury awarded Optis $506 million in the dispute, but US District Judge Rodney Gilstrap vacated that award in April, ordering a new trial focused only on damages.
An Apple spokesperson said in a statement that “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,” the company spokesperson added.
According to Apple, Optis doesn’t do anything other than sue corporations like Telsa, Huawei and ZTE.
Optis claimed Apple was unwilling to give a fair royalty rate for its patented designs.
