Apple and AT&T sued for infringement over iPhone haptic patents
Haptic technology company Immersion has accused Appleand carrier AT&T of infringement of three of its patents
in the latest iPhone models and Apple watches.
Immersion, which claims over 2,100 issued or pending
patents worldwide covering various aspects and
commercial applications of haptic or touch feedback
technology, has asked the U.S. International Trade
Commission to ban the import of the specified iPhone and
Apple Watch models in the U.S., besides suing for
damages in a Delaware federal court, company CEO
Victor Viegas said in a conference call Thursday.
Under the rules, it will take the ITC 30 days to decide
on instituting an investigation, and the subsequent
proceedings could take another 16 months, making an
appeal to the ITC the most effective and quick way for
redress, Viegas said
The Apple products named in the actions are the iPhone
6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, Apple
Watch, Apple Watch Sport and Apple Watch Edition.
Haptics play a central role in these products, according
to the complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District
of Delaware, which added that the 3D Touch and Taptic
Engine features in the latest iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s
Plus provide haptic feedback, "including feedback based on
pressure-sensitive interactions with the touch screen."
The Apple Watch likewise has haptic features promoted
under the names Force Touch and Taptic Engine,
according to the complaint.
Immersion decided to include AT&T and subsidiary AT&T
Mobility in the action because the carrier is the most
significant distributor of the iPhone in the U.S. Its decision
to sue at this point, some months after Apple started
selling its latest products, like the iPhone 6s and the
iPhone 6s Plus, was a matter of strategy, Immersion
said. It also described as strategy its decision to name in
the complaint only AT&T and not the other carriers that
offer the iPhone in the U.S., such as Verizon and T-
Mobile.
The patent company alleges that the iPhone 6, iPhone 6
Plus, iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, Apple Watch, Apple
Watch Sport and Apple Watch Edition infringe two of its
patents.
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