Caltech has reached a “potential settlement” in a high-stakes patent infringement lawsuit against Apple and Broadcom over Wi-Fi chips, according to a filing Thursday in federal court.
Caltech had previously won judgments of more than $1.1 billion (nearly Rs 9,100 crore) from Apple and Broadcom, which were later overturned.
A court filing filed with U.S. District Court in Los Angeles after the call disclosed the possible settlement, but gave no further details. It is unclear whether the agreement involves both Apple and Broadcom.
Representatives for Caltech, Apple and Broadcom did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The court ordered the parties to submit a joint status report by August 18.
Caltech, based in Pasadena, California, sued Apple and Broadcom in 2016, alleging that millions of iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and other Apple devices that use Broadcom chips infringe its wireless communications patents. The jury awarded Apple $837.8 million (nearly Rs 69.32 crore) and Broadcom $270.2 (nearly Rs 2235 crore) in damages for patent infringement in 2020.
A U.S. appeals court overturned that ruling last year and ordered a new trial for damages, arguing that the amount was “not legally justifiable”. The trial, originally scheduled to begin in June 2023, was postponed indefinitely in May.
Caltech told Texas federal court on Tuesday that it had settled a related lawsuit against Samsung. The university has also sued Microsoft, Dell and Hewlett-Packard over its Wi-Fi patents, and the case is still pending.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
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