A Texas jury on Friday ordered Apple to pay a $300 million fine, after a court re-examined a patent dispute.
The jury found that Apple should pay Optus Wireless Technologies and its associated companies because the technology that Apple used in its iPhone and iPad devices as well as its smart watches infringes its patents, according to The Verge. “.
Last year, a jury awarded Optus $506 million in the dispute, but a judge invalidated that award last April and ordered a new trial focused on damages only.
US District Judge Rodney Gilstrap said the first jury was not allowed to consider whether the amount was awarded on the “fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory terms required in standard core patent cases”.
The Register reported that the five patents involved in the case were owned by LG, Samsung and Panasonic, but were acquired by Optus.
In its first comment on the ruling against it, an Apple spokesperson told The Verge on Sunday that the company was disappointed with the ruling and plans to appeal.
He added that Optus does not manufacture any products, and its only job is to sue companies that use the patents they collect, and “we will continue to defend against their attempts to extract unreasonable payments for their patents.”