Caltech Drops Patent Infringement Lawsuit Against Broadcom and Apple
In a surprising turn of events, the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has filed a motion with a US District Court in California to drop its claims against technology giants Broadcom and Apple. The motion includes a request for Broadcom to drop its claims against Caltech as well.
In its filing, Caltech stated that it would drop the lawsuit “with prejudice,” meaning it cannot refile the case in the future. The institute also confirmed that Broadcom “does not oppose this request.”
The patent infringement lawsuit was initially filed by Caltech in 2016, alleging that Broadcom chips used in Apple products violated four of its patents related to data transmission technology. Caltech had sought damages from both Broadcom and Apple.
However, in the recent filing, Caltech revealed its intention to dismiss its claims against Apple as well, also “with prejudice.” This means that all claims against Broadcom and Apple will be permanently dropped.
Furthermore, Caltech’s filing took a surprising turn when it requested the dismissal of all counterclaims made by Apple against the institute. It remains unclear whether Apple will comply with Caltech’s request.
Though the reasons behind Caltech’s decision to drop the lawsuit are unknown, it marks a significant development in the long-standing legal battle. Patent infringement lawsuits between technology companies are not uncommon, and often result in lengthy and expensive court battles.
This latest development provides an unexpected twist, particularly as Caltech had previously shown determination to pursue legal action against Broadcom and Apple. Both companies have not publicly commented on the matter at the time of writing.
The dropping of the case “with prejudice” means that Caltech’s original claims will not be revisited, bringing an end to this chapter of the legal dispute. It remains to be seen how this decision will impact future lawsuits involving Caltech, Broadcom, and Apple, as well as the wider landscape of patent infringement cases within the technology industry.