Caltech files patent-infringement complaint against Apple and Broadcom

The company’s legal battle with American school is not yet over, this time, it’s CALTECH (California Institute of Technology).

The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has alleged Apple has been using Wi-Fi technology, which infringed four of its patents.

CALTECH claimed that Apple knowingly used and advertised gains from patented WiFi technology in nearly all of its major products starting from the iPhone 5.

It claims the tech companies are infiringing four of its patents (7,116,710, 7,421,032, 7,916,781 and 8,284,833) which cover improvements to the encoders and decoders used for error correction in 802.11n and newer wi-fi hardware.

Caltech has also sued longtime Apple partner for WiFi chips, Broadcom Ltd.

Filed Thursday in the Central District of California, the complaint claimed that the companies are wrongfully using intellectual property protected by four USA patents awarded to Caltech between 2006 and 2012. Though Broadcom is the lawsuit’s primary target, Apple has been dragged in as most of its products use Broadcom’s WiFi chips. That being said, Apple’s future is in big trouble, as Caltech is seeking a permanent ban in the United States on the sale of the company’s products, as well as payment for damages. Apple is also one of Broadcom’s biggest customers, representing around 14 percent of the company’s overall revenue. The case said both Apple and Broadcom are “jointly and severally liable for infringement “. Apple lost the lawsuit and had to pay damages to the university.

There are high chances that the California Institute of technology will be seeking damages for the infringement of technology and Apple has not yet commented on the issue.

In a lawsuit filed, CALTECH argued that Apple knowingly used and advertised gains from patented WiFi technology in nearly all of its major products starting from the iPhone 5 forward.