Judge tosses $1.1 billion CalTech lawsuit ruling against Apple, orders new trial

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What you need to know

  • A judge has thrown out a $1.1 billion ruling against Apple and Broadcom.
  • The pair were sued by CalTech over Wi-Fi technology patents.
  • A Judge said the damages award wasn't justified and ordered a new trial.

A judge has tossed out a $1.1 billion lawsuit ruling against Apple and Broadcom, stating the amount of damages awarded was not justified based on the record.

From Reuters:

(Apple Inc (AAPL.O) and Broadcom Inc (AVGO.O)on Friday convinced a U.S. appeals court to throw out a jury verdict requiring them to pay $1.1 billion for infringing California Institute of Technology patents related to Wi-Fi technology used in iPhones and other Apple devices.The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said the award, one of the largest in U.S. history for a patent case, was not justified by the record, ordering a new trial.):

In January 2020 CalTech was awarded $1.1 billion by a jury in a patent case regarding Wi-Fi technology, the suit was first filed back in 2016. Both Apple and Broadcom appealed the ruling, which awarded about $837 million from Apple and $270 million from Broadcom.

Broadcom is a major supplier to Apple, and the pair reportedly signed two multi-year deals worth some $15 billion in January 2020. Broadcom supplies Apple with radio-frequency chips used in devices like its best iPhones, iPads, and the Apple Watch.

The judge ordered that a new trial be held in the case, stating that the record did not justify the level of damages that were awarded.

Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design.

Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9