Apple faces lawsuit; Products Violate MIMO Wireless Technology Patent, Says XR Communications

Apple faces another lawsuit because XR Communications claimed that the tech giant’s products violated the patent for MIMO wireless technology.

On Wednesday, June 16, the non-practicing company XR Communications filed a lawsuit against Apple Inc. The lawsuit claimed that the tech giant had violated a single patent that was granted in 2020 when they deployed MIMO technology.

Apple communications against XR

The complaint involved intellectual property developed by former Wi-Fi establishment specialist Vivato Technologies to run counter to various Apple products incorporating “multiple output, multiple input” or commonly known as MIMO technology.

It is filed with the United States Designated District Court for the Western District of Texas.

XR Communications has claimed an infringement of US Patent Number 10,715,235 which involves “directed wireless communication”. It explicitly covers wireless communications using MIMO capabilities.

Technically, it includes all Apple products capable of transmitting different variants of MIMO-enabled Wi-Fi, which allows a variety of multipath propagation methods, such as MU-MIMO and DL-MU-MIMO.

Also Read: Apple CEO Tim Cook discusses app ‘sideloading’ and other upcoming developments at VivaTech conference

Apple products in question

According to Apple Insider, the lawsuit included a list of specific Apple products in question.

It included all iPhone models from iPhone 6s, iPad mini 2, first generation iPad Air, Apple TV 4K, and Mac models released from 2016 onwards.

For example, the iPhone XS Max works on a general mechanism of MIMO systems. Therefore, it can process and receive multiple signals simultaneously.

Especially since the smartphone also uses beamforming techniques which aim to optimize its reception.

XR Communications complaints

XR Communications’ lawsuit against Apple Inc. covers specific technology. However, the processes described in the file are widely used not only by Apple. Other manufacturers offering Wi-Fi enabled devices also use the same technology as shown in the file.

It is essential to know that MIMO, along with its successor, is the basis of all cellular standards, including 4G LTE.

History of Vivato and XR Communications

According to Vivato’s brief summary, Apple Insider reported that the company began its journey in 2000, with $ 80 million for its venture capital.

The company focused on producing ‘Carrier-Class’ Wi-Fi with a plan to deliver data over long distances using various wireless base stations that could incorporate a phased array antenna layout for training. beam.

It is still unclear why Vivato was shutting down operations, but XR Communications began claiming Vivato’s patents in 2017.

Some of the affected patents cover MIMO, Belkin, Cisco, Netgear, Ubiquiti Networks, Phased Antenna and other inventions against ASUS and others.

The bottom line

The lawsuit against Apple is still ongoing, and the public will have to wait for the outcome.

Apple is a giant tech company, and it’s no secret that it also has several patents related to MIMO communications and OFDM or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing methods.

In contrast, XR Communications appears to be filing on behalf of Vivato. The company is seeking damages, both past and current royalties, legal costs and even an injunction in the case.

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Written by Fran Sanders

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