Apple must pay $500 million over patent violations, US court rules

Apple must pay more than $500 million in damages and interest for 4G patent infringements held by intellectual property company PanOptis, a Texas court has ruled.

The US tech giant — now worth almost $2 trillion — will appeal Tuesday’s decision, local media said.

PanOptis, which specializes in licensing patents, took Apple to court in February last year, claiming it refused to pay for the use of 4G LTE technologies in its smartphones, tablets and watches.

“The plaintiffs have repeatedly negotiated with Apple to reach an agreement for a FRAND license to the Plaintiff’s patent portfolios which Apple is infringing,” the court filing read.

FRAND refers to terms that are “fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory” and is the IT industry standard for technology use.