PMC filed suit against Apple for alleged patent infringement. PMC was initially handed a victory in March this year with a settlement award of $308.5 million. Now a judge overseeing the case has thrown the case out.
PMC has targeted various tech companies to exploit hundreds of patent applications it applied for in the ’80s and ’90s. No such patents were awarded until 2010. PMC took advantage of a legal loophole that facilitated an indefinite application process. While this loophole has subsequently been closed as of 1995, PMC has still been able to target Apple and others via patents filed earlier than this.
The Judge determined that the patent in question-related to Digital Rights Management was unenforceable. That’s because PMC intentionally delayed the application at the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
“The course of conduct undertaken by PMC constitutes an unreasonable delay and an abuse of the statutory patent system,”
Judge Gilstrap
Hopefully, this ruling will serve as a warning to other patent trolls. It stifles innovation, creates additional expense for private and publically owned businesses ad ultimately hurts jobs. Congratulations to Apple o this ruling!
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