Another day, another two lawsuits. First: handsfree headphone maker Pinn claims that Apple’s AirPods infringe on several of its patents, reports AppleInsider.
The manufacturer of a clip-on wireless headphone unit, has filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court Central District of California. Pinn claims that Apple knowingly chose to infringe Pinn’s patents with the AirPods, wants a trial by jury, and an unspecified sum in compensation based on royalties.
Second, patent troll Aftechmobile claims that with the design, implementation and use of the Shortcuts app, Apple infringes its patents regarding mobile application development software. AppleInsider says it appears to be using a patent that was filed for and issued after Apple’s first use of the technology.
Shortcuts is a free app for iOS devices that lets you run complicated tasks with just a few buttons. A shortcut can be custom made or you can grab pre-made ones, and they work with iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple Watch.
By the way, 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.
