The California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has reached an agreement to settle a patent lawsuit against Apple and Broadcom over Wi-Fi chips, according to a filing in California federal court. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Caltech sued Apple and Broadcom in 2016, alleging that the companies infringed on its patents for Wi-Fi technology. In 2020, a jury awarded Caltech more than $1 billion in damages. However, a federal appeals court overturned the verdict in 2021, ruling that the damages award was excessive.
The settlement between Caltech, Apple, and Broadcom brings an end to a long-running legal dispute. The terms of the settlement are likely to be confidential, but it is possible that the agreement includes a licensing agreement that will allow Apple and Broadcom to continue using Caltech’s patented technology.
The settlement is also a positive development for consumers, as it means that the two companies will be able to continue developing and selling products that use Caltech’s Wi-Fi technology.
MacDailyNews Note: In 2020, a jury ordered Apple to pay $837.8 million and Broadcom to pay $270.2 million in patent-infringement damages. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear a bid by Apple and Broadcom to revive their challenges to Caltech data-transmission patents.
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Excessive? if they paid at least $5 per device, seems fair.