A step too far: Apple sued for patent infringement over fitness apps
Apple is the latest company to be sued by software company Uniloc after it alleged that Apple infringed its patents covering fitness apps.
The case was filed at the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas on Sunday, June 30.
Uniloc claimed that a number of its patents were infringed through iPhones, iPads and watches equipped with motion sensors that help to count steps and other human movement.
Uniloc owns US patent numbers 7,653,508; 7,881,902; and 8,712,723 relating to motion sensor software. The patents were registered in January 2010, according to the claim.
The company is asking the court to rule that Apple has infringed the three patents, and for damages, attorneys’ fees and a jury trial.
It isn’t the first time Uniloc has sued a technology manufacturer.
In March, WIPR reported that the Texas-based company sued both Google and Amazon over the alleged infringement of a string of patents.
Google was alleged to have infringed US patent numbers 8,724,622; 8,995,433; and 7,535,890 relating to text/speech software, while Amazon was alleged to have infringed US patent numbers 8,571,194; 7,804,948; and 7,853,000 for conference call software.
In September 2016, the software manufacturer also sued Motorola over the same text/speech software, but the case was later stayed by the court after an unopposed request by Motorola.
That ruling came six months after the Patent Trial and Appeal Board invalidated a Uniloc patent, number 5,490,216, following a filing by Sega of America and Ubisoft, among others.
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