Apple Reportedly Settles Multi-Touch Patent Lawsuit from Elan for $5 Million

elan logo smallReuters reports that Taiwanese company Elan Microelectronics has issued a statement announcing the settlement of a patent infringement dispute with Apple regarding multi-touch technology. According to Elan, Apple has agreed to pay $5 million and the two companies will cross-license certain patents to avoid future issues related to the intellectual property in question.

Elan Microelectronics Corp, a Taiwanese touch design company, said on Thursday that Apple Inc will pay $5 million as part of a settlement in a patent infringement case.

The statement said the two companies would also exchange authorizations to use each other's patents.

The patent dispute between the two companies dates back to 2009, when Elan sued Apple over alleged infringement of a patent related to the detection of multiple-finger input as on the company's iOS devices, notebooks, and several accessories. Apple had also counter-sued Elan in 2009 in an attempt to gain leverage in the dispute.

Elan turned to the U.S. International Trade Commission in 2010, seeking a ban on imports of Apple's products, but the ITC ruled in Apple's favor last year.

Top Rated Comments

TWSS37 Avatar
156 months ago
When will Google settle copying iOS?

I wish Apple sue the hell out of Google, they stole a whole operating system.

This is what makes all these small lawsuits a joke, Apple have had their iOS inside developers taken by Google in 2006 and all of a sudden, Android looked like iOS copy rather than Blackberry copy.

GO AFTER THE THIEVES APPLE - GOOGLE

Android before poaching Apple iOS employees 2006/early 2007:

Image (http://cdn2.mixrmedia.com/wp-uploads/ziggytek/blog/2010/07/android-prototype.jpg)

Android post poaching iOS employees:

Image (http://cdn2.mixrmedia.com/wp-uploads/ziggytek/blog/2010/07/android-iphone.jpg)

Please stop posting this over and over again. Just link to where you've made this point before.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
basesloaded190 Avatar
156 months ago
How much would it cost for Google to settle with Apple for the theft of a rather **** copy of iOS?

You really have an axe to grind here. How does this affect you in any conceivable way?

Anyways, this is pocket change for Apple and glad they got things sorted out.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
*LTD* Avatar
156 months ago
Tim Cook: Hey Scott, we're settling with Elan. It's for 5 million. Have you got any change on you?

Scott Forstall: Uh yeah, just hang on a sec. I think I had a few mil on me when I went to get coffee this morning. *fishes around in his pocket* Ok, here's around 4. Bum the rest off Jony.

Tim Cook: k.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gnasher729 Avatar
156 months ago
When will Google settle copying iOS?

I wish Apple sue the hell out of Google, they stole a whole operating system.
The pictures that you posted don't show any similarity in the design at all. I think you are confused because Apple is suing _one_ manufacturer for _one_ tablet design that is too close to the iPad and conclude wrongly that _every_ Android device must be the copy of an Apple product. That is not the case.

What ever happened to "boy, have we patented it"?
Just because you have patents, even lots of patents, doesn't mean you aren't infringing on someone else's patents. And even if you aren't infringing, doesn't mean someone else can't sue you.

And, while current Android phones may resemble the iPhone, that shot of the G1 looks nothing like an iPhone. What a ridiculous statement. First, it is white, iPhone was black only at that time. It has a track-ball and 5 separate buttons at the bottom. iPhone has 1 home button and no track-ball. The G1 is not flat, but actually angles out near the mouth piece. The iPhone is completely flat. The G1 has a slide-out QWERTY keyboard, iPhone does not. The G1 has a crowded menu bar (more like Windows Mobile if anything), not so with iPhone. There a huge widget (a clock) in middle of G1 screen, no widgets on iPhone. G1 has some kind of pop-up menu on screen, not so with iPhone (yet, ironically, iOS would add this later). And lastly, they both have folders/apps on the screen. What a novel concept for both of them there.
Absolutely correct. I'm not sure about the colour, but each single one of the other differences would be enough to make it different enough from the iPhone.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TWSS37 Avatar
156 months ago
Well, my buddy Small White Car has over a million shares in Apple for a start.
If Small White Car had over a million shares he'd be Fast Red Lamborghini.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AppleScruff1 Avatar
156 months ago
Since everyone is ok with Apple infringing on the patents of others I'm sure that being rational men you'll feel the same when someone else is accused of infringing on Apple's patents too. I know that no one would be hypocritical about that.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 16 4 Web Push

Apple Confirms Governments Using Push Notifications to Surveil Users

Wednesday December 6, 2023 5:06 am PST by
Unidentified governments are surveilling smartphone users by tracking push notifications that move through Google's and Apple's servers, a US senator warned on Wednesday (via Reuters). In a letter to the Department of Justice, Senator Ron Wyden said foreign officials were demanding the data from the tech giants to track smartphones. The traffic flowing from apps that send push notifications...
iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
airpods pro 2 pink

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 2 Firmware

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware update for both the Lightning and USB-C versions of the AirPods Pro 2. The new firmware is version 6B34, up from the 6B32 firmware introduced in November. Apple does not provide details on what features might be included in the refreshed firmware beyond "bug fixes and other improvements," so it is unclear what's new in the update, but prior software releases ...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

'All-Screen' iPhone Under-Display Camera Enters Development

Wednesday December 6, 2023 2:03 am PST by
Apple's Korean suppliers have begun developing smartphone under-display cameras (UDC), paving the way for the first iPhone with a true "all-screen" appearance. According to The Elec, LG Innotek has entered the preliminary development of the UDC, which sits under the display and does not result in a visible hole in the panel when the camera is not in use. A UDC differs from a typical front ...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 May Reuse Existing iPhone 14 Battery

Wednesday December 6, 2023 1:17 pm PST by
Recently, MacRumors has received details on the battery currently being tested on the upcoming fourth-generation iPhone SE, and the information corroborates previous findings in relation to the device. The iPhone SE 4, known by its device identifier D59, is expected to use the exact same battery found in the base model iPhone 14. Partially assembled prototypes of the next iPhone SE have been ...
12

Apple to Launch Two iPad Air and Two OLED iPad Pro Models Early Next Year

Wednesday December 6, 2023 9:53 am PST by
To boost falling iPad sales, Apple has a major refresh planned for the iPad lineup in early 2024, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple plans to debut new iPad Air and iPad Pro models, both of which will feature notable changes. The iPad Air will come in two sizes like the iPad Pro for the first time. The smaller model will continue to measure in at 10.9 inches, but the larger version...
New iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Release Notes: All New Features for Your iPhone

Wednesday December 6, 2023 7:17 am PST by
Apple has shared the full release notes for iOS 17.2, which is in the final stage of beta testing and should be released to the public next week. iOS 17.2 includes a long list of new features and changes, including a Journal app, spatial video recording on iPhone 15 Pro models, several improvements to the Messages and Weather apps, a Favorite Songs playlist in Apple Music, and more. iOS...
magsafe blue 2

iOS 17.2 Brings Qi2 Support to iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 Models

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:04 am PST by
The iOS 17.2 update that Apple is set to release to the public in the near future will bring support for the next-generation Qi2 wireless charging standard to the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models. Qi2 was mentioned in the release notes for the RC version of the update that came out today. With the addition of support for the new standard, iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models will work with Qi2...