Apple, WiLAN Sign New License Agreement, Settlling Patent Fight

While everyone thought the case was going to drag out in a long bruising run of attrition where Apple likely had the upper hand in with its cash reserves, the lawsuit brought by WiLAN Inc.. with the computer company has just been settled instead. The patent dispute was resolved quickly after Apple convinced a US appeals court in February to reject a jury’s $85 million award to WiLAN.

The settlement essentially closes a chapter in WiLAN’s involvement with Apple, including all claims and issues that were brought up in three different countries. From Canada to Germany and U.S., the series of lawsuits and charges have now all been wrapped up.

The launchlongstanding lawsuit started in 2014 with a pre-emptive attack from Apple on WiLAN. The computer company was trying to shut down a patent argument before it could come up, effectively quieting WiLAN if they would try to raise a claim. However, the case backfired, and the jury awarded WiLAN $85 million. No surprise, nothing is ever complete after the first trial, especially with a company the size of Apple, so they appealed.

Given the run of more than seven years of litigation, as well as the potential for another big loss, Apple apparently decided enough was enough. Rather than fighting it out again after winning the second appeal, the computer company decided to call a draw – shutting  down WiLAN’s claims completely, but the opponent is rewarded financially for doing so. It seems appropriate given the history. For more Intellectual Property Law (CLE) webcasts, click here.