14 DAY TRIAL // A patent owned by a Boston University member is at the heart of a lawsuit targeting both Apple and Samsung. The invention relates to “highly insulating monocrystalline gallium nitride thin films.”
The suit was filed in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts and alleges that several Apple products are infringing on U.S. Patent 5,686,738, titled “Highly Insulating Monocrystalline Gallium Nitride Thin Film.”
The invention mainly has to do with the manufacturing process of LEDs and semiconductor devices in general, while the suit itself doesn’t mention any specific infringing devices.
Of note, Samsung is being targeted by the same allegations, meaning it could well be the screens or the memory chips used in the iPhone and the iPad that infringe on the patent.
The lawsuit papers are available here. No word on whether BU tried to approach Apple peacefully before suing them. Then again, where’s the fun in that?