Categories: LegalNews

Patent trollin’: Lawsuit claims Apple’s AirPods infringe on two patents

Another day, another lawsuit. AppleInsider reports that Apple has been hit with a lawsuit alleging that its AirPods infringe on a pair of patents owned by “an obscure Texas LLC that cover wireless earpiece and wearable device technology.”

WFR IP LLC, which appears to be a non-practicing entity (in other words, a “patent troll”), filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas on Friday. It seeks relief from patent infringement on two patents-in-suit. While the complaint doesn’t mention AirPods by name, it claims that Apple “makes, uses, offers for sale, and sells wireless earpiece and wearable piece products and services” that infringe on the patents-in-suit.

What’s a patent troll?

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.

Dennis Sellers

Dennis Sellers is the editor/publisher of Apple World Today. He’s been an “Apple journalist” since 1995 (starting with the first big Apple news site, MacCentral). He loves to read, run, play sports, and watch movies.

Recent Posts

Top Apple-related stories this week (April 29-May 3)

Here are the top Apple-related articles at Apple World Today for the week of April…

22 hours ago

Today’s deal: Join the Spot Club, Get 2 Days of Parking at The Parking Spot for Just $9.99!

With the The Parking Spot, you can get easy long-term parking at airports nationwide. With…

22 hours ago

Apple motion to be removed from Astroworld catastrophe denied

The start of the civil trial over who is responsible for the deaths and injuries…

2 days ago

iPad sales expected to grow by double digits this year

iPad sales are expected to grow by double digits this year.

2 days ago

iPhone shipments decline 13% year-over-year, but average selling price grow 2%

The global smartphone market grew by 6% year-over-year (YoY) to reach 296.9 million unit shipments…

2 days ago

Slight Change of Sawblades +, Dicey Sungeons +, and Summer Pop + now available on Apple Arcade

Slight Change of Sawblades +, Dicey Sungeons +, and Summer Pop + are now available…

2 days ago