Apple Successfully Settles AirPods Patent Dispute Before It Heads To Trial
By Alexa Heah, 26 Jul 2022
Managing to avoid a long, drawn-out trial, Apple has officially settled an AirPods-related patent dispute with Koss, an audio manufacturer that had previously filed an infringement lawsuit against the technology giant.
The audio firm alleged Apple infringed on its wireless headphone technology, specifically in AirPods and Beats products, despite having been aware of the patents.
In fact, Koss claimed the two companies had met on several occasions to discuss the intellectual property.
According to MacRumors, with Apple deciding not to license any of Koss’ technology, the company filed a lawsuit demanding an unspecified amount of damages.
Though the former eventually counter-sued, saying the allegations were “baseless” and that the audio manufacturer’s allegations had broken a confidentiality agreement in 2017.
As per Reuters, the trial had been scheduled to begin this week, with the two parties barely making it in time to submit their resolution to the Texas Federal Court.
The District Judge immediately dismissed the case with prejudice, meaning it can no longer be refiled.
No details of the settlement have been released, and the two firms have yet to publicly comment on the matter.
[via MacRumors and Reuters, cover image via Dedmityay | Dreamstime.com]