Apple Sued by Corephotonics
The Israeli company that specializes in the dual-lens, Corephotonics has sued Apple yet again for allegedly
infringing on four of its patents. These patents were filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office and
can be found in the following links.
According to Corephotonics, two different iPhone versions used its patented optical zoom method, telephoto lens design, and a method for intelligently synthesizing pictures from telephoto lenses and wide-angle to improve picture quality.
The company did not mention the iPhone X as infringing the patent, despite the model having a dual-lens camera. This could be due to the fact that the phone was launched only a few days ago.
Corephotonics was founded in 2012 by founder Dr. David Mendlovic who has decades of experience in the fields of miniature digital cameras and optics.
The company describes itself as a pioneer in the development of dual-camera technologies for mobile devices.
According to Corephotonics, the company first tried reaching out to Apple for clarification. Apple’s response was to provide ‘positive feedback’ and ‘encouraging reports’.
There was no monetary compensation or licensing deal of any kind between the two companies.
Corephotonics alleges that Apple proceeded to release its iPhone 7 plus with a dual-lens camera while willfully infringing upon its patents at the time.
Perhaps more worryingly, Corephotonics claims that Apple’s lead negotiator said it may take years and millions of dollars in lawsuits before Apple is compelled to pay anything.
This may seem déjà vu for Apple since it previously acquired an Israeli camera company called LinX Imaging in 2015.
Furthermore, there have been rumors in January that claim Samsung could acquire Corephotonics for anywhere between $150 million to $160 million. It is unclear if the deal went through since neither company has given an official word of the purchase.
