The software patent suit nonsense isn’t stopping anytime soon. Today Apple and LG will face the telecommunications company Alcatel-Lucent in a San Diego federal court over a surprising bit of tech: video compression.
The trial follows from a 2010 lawsuit where Alcatel-Lucent claimed Apple and LG infringed on its video compression technology, Bloomberg reports. Alcatel-Lucent’s tech shrinks video down in size to more easily distribute it over the Internet, satellites, and other communications media, as well as physical media like DVDs.
Alcatel-Lucent says it’s seeking a “reasonable royalty” based on what both companies would have paid to license its patent. The company claims that several models of Apple’s iPhone, iPad, iPod, and MacBook Pro, as well as multiple LG phones, infringed on its video compression patents. Specifically, Alcatel-Lucent claims Apple infringed on three patents, while LG infringed on two.
While Alcatel-Lucent hasn’t listed any damages figures yet, a financial expert in the court filing for the trial estimated that Apple could have paid $195.9 million in royalties so far, while LG would have paid $9.1 million.
Not surprisingly, both Apple and LG deny infringing on the video compression patents, and say that the technology being targeted is just a small part of complex products.
Photo: Devindra Hardawar/VentureBeat