Apple owes $110 million in wireless tech patent case, US jury says

By Blake Brittain

July 1 (Reuters) - Apple AAPL.O must pay a Spanish patent owner more than $110.7 million in damages for infringing a patent related to wireless communications technology, a Delaware federal jury said in a verdict made public on Tuesday.

The jury agreed with TOT Power Control that wireless chips in Apple's iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches violated TOT's patent rights in technology used in the 3G wireless standard.

Spokespeople and attorneys for Apple and TOT did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the verdict, which can be appealed.

Spanish engineer Alvaro Medrano formed TOT to license technology he invented for managing "how power is used to respond to decreases and increases in the ratio of radio signal to interference," according to TOT's 2021 complaint. TOT's lawsuit said that Apple's mobile devices include transceivers that use its patented technology without a license.

Apple denied the allegations and argued that the patents were invalid. The jury found that Apple infringed one of the two TOT patents at issue in the case.

TOT has filed similar lawsuits against mobile-device makers LG and Samsung in Delaware that are still ongoing.

The case is TOT Power Control SL v. Apple Inc, U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, No. 1:21-cv-01302.

For TOT: Denise De Mory, Elizabeth Day, Corey Johanningmeier and Tara Zurawski of Bunsow De Mory

For Apple: Jeff Castellano of DLA Piper