Apple shakes off antitrust and patent suit
Lawsuit alleged violation of US act | Arguments centred on ineligible subject matter | Blix.
In a victory for Apple, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has affirmed a lower court’s order to dismiss a lawsuit accusing Apple of patent infringement and engaging in anti-competitive behaviour.
Yesterday, December 6, the Federal Circuit (in a one-sentence ruling) upheld a finding from the US District Court for the District of Delaware that Apple had not infringed app maker Blix’s patent as it covered ineligible subject matter.
It also rejected Blix’s arguments that Apple had stolen and copied its patent-protected technology as part of Apple’s efforts to maintain monopoly power.
Blix had sued Apple in October 2019, accusing the technology company of infringing a patent that Blix used to develop its BlueMail email application through the use of Apple’s “Sign in with Apple” system.
Additionally, Blix claimed that the exclusion of BlueMail from the App Store violated section 2 of the Sherman Act, which covers antitrust law. Apple had allegedly removed the BlueMail app from the store as it violated internal guidelines.
In March 2021, the Delaware court dismissed all of Blix’s patent infringement allegations after finding that the patent was directed to patent-ineligible subject matter.
Then, in July last year, the court dismissed Blix’s second complaint, holding that Blix’s antitrust allegations didn’t sufficiently plead the existence of an unlawful maintenance of a monopoly by Apple.
Blix subsequently appealed against the dismissal. However, the Federal Circuit sided with Apple and affirmed the lower court’s decision.
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