14 DAY TRIAL // Apple is once again being sent to the court for an alleged patent violation, and this time a Singapore-based company claims iPhone 8 and iPhone X use their lead-free solder without authorization.
Singapore Asahi Chemical & Solder Industries PTE Ltd. has filed a lawsuit in Ohio, asking for a jury trial because of what they describe as patent violation with a series of iPhone models, starting with the iPhone 7 and newer.
The Singaporean firm says it patented its invention in 2001 and wants Apple to pay damages and legal fees as part of the lawsuit, though no specifics are provided on the payment request. It does hope that damages would be tripled, however, according to court documents published by AI.
Apple tight-lipped on the lawsuit
“The ‘947 Patent is generally directed to solder alloys with improved physical and chemical properties that comprise effective amounts of tin, copper, silver, and bismuth. At the time of the invention, the Co-Inventors recognized that traditional lead-tin solder alloys ‘face[d] a limited future due to lead toxicity and the control or prohibition of the use of lead on a global landscape,’” the plaintiff says about its technology in the lawsuit.
“As a result, high strength and high fatigue resistance solder alloys were developed to meet the increasing level of performance needed in solder joints as required by the continued advancements in integrated circuit (“IC”) and IC package technologies. Among those alloys developed are those which are covered by the ‘947 Patent.”
Apple hasn’t commented on this new lawsuit, as per its own approach, though it remains to be seen if the company does decide to fight these claims in court or not.
The Singapore-based firm isn’t known as a patent troll, so it’s not exactly clear if a settlement is possible, but it’ll be certainly interesting to see how Apple responds to these accusations. Singapore Asahi versus Apple by Mike Wuerthele on Scribd