Apple has been hit with another patent lawsuit over its FaceTime and iMessage technology, AppleInsider reports, with a Finnish holdings firm accusing the company of violating is intellectual property (IP) related to sending and forwarding messages over a secure connection. The plaintiff, MHP Technologies, reportedly attempted to license its IP to Apple in 2016, and has now filed a suit with the U.S.
District Court for the Northern District of California, accusing Apple of infringing upon eight of its patents relating to secure messaging solutions in its iMessage, FaceTime, and always-on VPN features, across its iOS, watchOS, and macOS devices.
The filing notes that MPH first advised Apple of its concerns about patent infringement in a series of emails in July 2016, with led to a call with an Apple patent acquisitions executive.
After a follow-up letter in October, and additional information received by Apple’s in-house patent counsel in November, Apple responded in early 2017 with a letter closing the matter, saying that it did not “believe a license is required, as the asserted patents are not infringed and/or invalid as MPH appears to be interpreting the claims.” MPH is now seeking “undetermined compensation” for existing infringement and a permanent injunction that would prohibit any further use of the eight patents.
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