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14 April 2022PatentsAlex Baldwin

Dash tech used by Tesla, Ford does not infringe patent

A Delaware jury has ruled that an automobile tech supplier Aptiv’s aftermarket USB hub does not infringe on a patent owned by Microchip Technology.

The verdict published to the US District Court for the District of Delaware on Wednesday, April 13, says that Aptiv’s “dual role hub”—which is primarily used to enable iPhones to be controlled via the car’s entertainment system—does not infringe on Microchip’s US patent 7,523,243.

The ‘243 patent covers a USB device “simultaneously configured and accessed by two or more USB hosts by using a multi-host capable device controller”.

Microchip also claims that Aptiv’s technology infringes on another patent with an identical title—US Patent 7,627,708, but the jury verdict for that patent has not been made public.

Starting life as a spin-off from General Motors following its filing for bankruptcy in 2009, Aptiv supplies electronics to many of the world's largest automakers, including Ford, General Motors, and Tesla.

Case History

Microchip first filed the lawsuit against Aptiv—formally Delphi Automotive Systems—in August 2017 alleging that the tech supplier had infringed the ‘243 patent, the ‘708 patent, and US patent 7,478,191 which was later dropped from proceedings.

In the initial complaint, Microchip says that any “multi-host USB device control-based solution” that can be implemented into a car's entertainment system would infringe the ‘243 and the ‘708 patents.

Microchip sought a ruling that Aptiv infringed the asserted patents, a permanent injunction barring the sale of the dual role hub, and a monetary reward for damages.

According to a pretrial order submitted last week, Microchip specifically sought up to $87.2 million in royalties from lost profits and reasonable royalty from 2015 to November 2021.

Aptiv also attempted to dismiss the lawsuit with a motion for summary judgment against Microchip, alleging that Aptiv does not infringe the patents and that the patents are invalid. However, the motion was denied in 2020.

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