Apple has successfully appealed a $300 million jury verdict in a patent infringement case brought by Optis Wireless Technology. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that the original trial, overseen by U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, failed to properly separate legal claims on the verdict form. The three-judge panel concluded that combining all the patent infringement issues into a single question deprived Apple of its right to a unanimous jury decision on each claim. As a result, the court has ordered a new trial to address both the infringement allegations and the amount of damages. The original judgment had found Apple liable for infringing wireless patents used in millions of its devices.
Optis Wireless Technology responded to the ruling by expressing continued confidence in its case. A company stated, “We are highly confident the court will provide fair compensation for the critical Optis patents that enable high-speed connectivity for millions of Apple devices.” Meanwhile, Apple is also appealing a separate case in the UK, where a court previously ruled that it must pay Optis $502 million for infringing UK-based wireless patents. Apple shares declined 1.4%, in line with a broader market downturn on the same day.
