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23 August 2019PatentsSaman Javed

Corephotonics sues Apple over iPhone dual aperture camera tech

Camera technology developer  Corephotonics has alleged that several of  Apple’s iPhone models infringe its patents.

In a complaint filed at the  US District Court for the Northern District of California on August 14, Isreal-based Corephotonics said Apple’s iPhone models 7 Plus, 8Plus, X, Xs and Xs Max infringe ten of its patents.

The patents in dispute are US numbers 9,661,233; 10,230,898; 10,288,840; 10,317,647; 10,324,277; 10,330,897; 10,225,479; 10,015,408; 10,356,332; and 10,326,942.

They cover technology related to ‘dual aperture zoom’ digital cameras and telephoto lens technology.

In its complaint, the camera maker said it spent years demonstrating its technologies to Apple and discussing potential business collaborations but Apple refused.

“Instead, Apple has gone ahead and marketed its newest generations of iPhones with dual cameras that employ Corephotonics’ innovative designs, without any regard to Corephotonics’ intellectual property rights,” the filing alleged.

According to Corephotonics, it first contacted Apple in the hopes of establishing a partnership in 2012. In the years that followed, it said Apple asked it to provide a sample of its telephoto lens technology.

“Apple indicated that it intended to evaluate Corephotonics’ lens design and that it could potentially engage with Corephotonics on lens design technology depending on the outcome of that evaluation,” the camera maker said.

The latest filing is the third time Corephotonics has sued Apple for patent infringement.

In a previous filing at the same court, the camera maker alleged that Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus and 8 Plus cameras’ zoom functionality infringed a separate set of patents. The judgement in that case is still pending.

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