Swedish company sues Apple over QuickPath and the iOS home screen

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What you need to know

  • Apple is being sued over two of its iOS features.
  • Neonode, a Swedish company, says it has patented QuickPath and slide-to-unlock.
  • The plaintiff wants damages and a permanent injunction preventing further use.

Apple is being sued by a Swedish company over two iOS features Neonode says it holds patents for.

As reported by AppleInsider:

A Swedish company named Neonode has filed a lawsuit claiming that Apple features like QuickPath and slide-to-unlock infringe on its patents.The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, claims that Apple's gesture-based iOS navigation and QuickPath typing features directly are in direct infringement of Neonode's intellectual property.

The two patents cited in the suit pertain to "gestured-based interactions with touch-sensitive displays" and "tap-activatable icons."

According to the report, the patents were granted in 2012, however were filed for in 2002. Interestingly, Apple previously sued Samsung and Motorola over its own 'slide-to-unlock' patent, and Neonode's patent in question was used by Samsung in the defense. Now, Neonode is going after Apple:

Now, nearly eight years later, Neonode is again suing Apple for further touch-based gesture controls in devices like the iPhone 11 Pro and newer iPad Pro variants, which ditched the Home button for a home screen indicator and swipe up-to-unlock feature.

Neonode reportedly claims that Apple is also directly infringing on Neonode's patents by provisioning third-party swipe keyboards on Apple's own servers and because the apps can be downloaded to Apple devices. Because of the third-party claim, the suit extends beyond the new devices mentioned to models as old as the iPhone 4s and the iPad Air 2.

Neonode says it has licensed its technology to some "high-profile" firms, but not Apple. It is seeking a jury trial, damages, and an injunction against Apple using the technology.

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

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