Smartflash, a Texas-based company that won a $532.9 million lawsuit pertaining to patent disputes against Apple, is not resting easy.
The firm has sued Apple yet again for patent infringement, but this time for the company's newer products.
Considered by industry watchers as a "patent troll," Smartflash merely serves as a patent holder and licensor and does not manufacture its own products.
In its second complaint filed at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in Tyler, the patent licensing firm alleges that Apple makes use of seven patents in the technology for the iPad Air 2, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6 and iPad mini 3 without permission from Smartflash.
The patents in question are as follows:
In May 2013, Smartflash sued Apple for infringing six of its patents pertaining to data storage and management. On Tuesday, Feb. 24, the jury found Apple guilty of infringing three of Smartflash's patents used in the creation and sale of iTunes. Smartflash was awarded $532.9 million in damages.
The current complaint, which was filed on Wednesday, Feb. 25 in the same court as the earlier one, alleges the same patent infringement (Data Storage and Access Systems) by the new Apple products but includes this time a seventh patent, which it was awarded in August 2014.
"Smartflash filed the complaint to address products that came out too far into the last proceedings to have been included," said Brad Caldwell, Smartflash's attorney. "Apple cannot claim they don't know about these patents or understand that they are infringing. A diligent jury has already rejected those arguments."
Smartflash's complaint also alleges that the company's founder Patrick Racz had met with executives of Gemalto SA, including Augustin Farrugia who left the company in 2002 and later joined Apple. Farrugia, Smartflash alleges, had knowledge of its patents.
Apple said it would be appealing the District Court's verdict given on Feb. 24.
