Another day, another lawsuit. Fundamental Innovation Systems International (FISI), regarded (by me, anyway) as a “patent troll,” has sued Apple, claiming the tech company infringes on multiple patents involving USB charging and communication technologies, reports AppleInsider.
Apple saw this coming. On Feb. 6 the tech giant went “on the offensive” against FISI. In a complaint for declaratory judgment of non-infringement, Apple says FISI has claimed via letters, claim charts, phone calls, and in-person meetings that certain Apple products infringe on FISI patents. Apple says that this isn’t true and that the court (the U.S. District Court, Northern District of California) shouldn’t allow the threat of a future lawsuit to “harm and cause uncertainty to Apple’s business.”
A “patent troll” is an individual or an organization that purchases and holds patents for unscrupulous purposes such as stifling competition or launching patent infringement suits. In legal terms, a patent troll is a type of non-practicing entity: someone who holds a patent but is not involved in the design or manufacture of any product or process associated with that patent.
