What you need to know
- Apple is being sued by Jawbone.
- It's over patents held by the now-bankrupt wearable maker.
- Apple allegedly infringed on tech pertaining to noise cancellation.
Apple is being sued by Jawbone over patents that pertain to noise-canceling technology used in devices like its AirPods Pro.
Patents originally owned by the bankrupt Silicon Valley darling Jawbone Inc. are at the center of new lawsuits seeking royalties from Alphabet Inc.'s Google and Apple Inc. over noise canceling technology in their ear buds, smartphones and smart home devices. Jawbone Innovations LLC, the current owner of the patents, filed the suits Tuesday in federal court in Waco, Texas, a district that's the most popular in the nation for its patent-friendly judge and juries.
Jawbone Inc., a maker of wearable audio tech, is now bankrupt, but this new company, Jawbone Innovations LLC, still owns patents pertaining to noise-canceling audio technology, technology it says that both Apple and Google infringe on.
The reports notes, a little strangely, that it is unclear who is behind the company and the lawsuit, and that it's headquartered in Waco, Texas, in a small office building with no phone number, and that its lawyers couldn't be reached at the time.
The suit references eight patents relating to limiting background noise. According to the suit, both Apple and Google passed on opportunities to buy the assets of the bankrupt company.
Apple uses noise-canceling tech in devices like its AirPods Pro. The company is expected to unveil a new set of AirPods 3 sometime later this year, either by press release or alongside its rumored new mini-LED MacBook Pro.
