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15 April 2016Patents

Apple and Nike targeted in $5bn patent claims

Apple and Nike have been targeted in patent infringement claims totalling $5 billion centring on the company’s wearable technology devices.

In two separate lawsuits filed at the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, US resident Daisy Washington-Gross claimed she was the first person to file a patent for a “computer wrist watch” and a “computer gym shoe”.

Washington-Gross has demanded $2 billion from Apple and $3 billion from Nike.

The lawsuit targets the Apple Watch and the Nike + Sensor.

The Apple Watch is a smart watch that can sync with other Apple devices. The Nike+ Sensor is an electronic device that slips into the shoe and can also sync with Apple products and Nike watches to track data including distance, pace and calories burned.

Washington-Gross said she wrote to Nike in November 1995 about her idea because she wanted to see if Nike could have a shoe ready by the 1996 Olympics.

She added that she has “correspondence, drawings and other paperwork” in support of her claim.

Both lawsuits were filed on April 8.

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