Plaintiff
33 cases as plaintiff.
Apple Inc., commonly known as Apple, is a publicly traded technology company founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne. Headquartered in Cupertino, California, the company is a major player in consumer electronics, software, and online services. Apple trades on the NASDAQ stock exchange under the ticker symbol AAPL. As of late 2025, the company reported having approximately 166,000 full-time employees, and for the fiscal year ended September 2025, its annual revenue was approximately $416.2 billion.
Apple is an operating company that designs, manufactures, and markets a wide range of consumer technology products and services. Its major product lines include the iPhone smartphone, the iPad tablet computer, the Mac line of personal computers, the Apple Watch smartwatch, and AirPods wireless earbuds. The company also operates a significant services division, which includes the App Store, iCloud, Apple Music, Apple TV+, and Apple Pay. Apple's business model is characterized by a tightly integrated ecosystem of hardware, software, and services.
The provided data shows Apple is predominantly a defendant in patent litigation, with nine out of ten tracked cases filed against the company. This pattern is typical for a large operating company that is a frequent target for patent infringement claims, often from non-practicing entities (NPEs). The lawsuits have been filed in several jurisdictions, including the plaintiff-friendly Western and Eastern Districts of Texas, as well as the District of Delaware and the Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB).
The single case where Apple is the plaintiff is a PTAB action against Topwire LLC, likely a defensive response to a district court lawsuit filed by Topwire against Apple a few months earlier. The list of plaintiffs suing Apple includes several LLCs, such as Topwire LLC, Ingeniospec, LLC, VB Assets, LLC, and Monticello Enterprises LLC. These types of entities are frequently utilized as patent assertion vehicles. The cases span several years, reflecting a continuous stream of litigation targeting Apple's high-revenue products.
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In response to an infringement suit, Apple Inc. filed a petition for Inter Partes Review (IPR) with the PTAB, seeking to invalidate the claims of U.S. Patent No. 9,859,202. The proceeding is currently pending.
An Inter Partes Review (IPR) initiated by Apple Inc. and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd. against MYW Semitech LLC before the PTAB, challenging US patent 11894306, which has been instituted.
Apple Inc. filed this Inter Partes Review against Avant Location Technologies LLC before the PTAB, challenging US Patent 9042910. An institution decision is expected by March 2026.
Apple Inc. initiated an Inter Partes Review (IPR) proceeding against MYPORT TECHNOLOGIES Inc. regarding US Patent 9832017. The PTAB issued a discretionary denial of institution for this IPR.
Apple Inc. filed an inter partes review (IPR) challenging US Patent 10237067, owned by MYPORT TECHNOLOGIES Inc. The IPR was not instituted due to a procedural discretionary denial.
An inter partes review initiated by Apple Inc. against Vampire Labs LLC concerning patent 8358103 at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, which was terminated as settled.
Apple Inc. filed an inter partes review (IPR) against CardWare Inc. for US patent 11176538, which was not instituted due to procedural reasons.
Apple Inc. filed an inter partes review challenging claims of the '058 patent as obvious over combinations of prior art references. The PTAB proceeding was instituted and pending.
Apple Inc. petitioned for inter partes review of claims 1-20 of US 9,049,188 B1. The PTAB instituted review, and the proceeding remained active as of April 2026, with a Petitioner Reply filed March 23, 2026.
Inter partes review of U.S. 8,886,954 filed by Apple Inc. Reported status: final written decision.
Inter partes review of U.S. 8,886,954 filed by Google LLC (caption also names Apple Inc.). Instituted July 24, 2024; Google terminated on settlement Feb. 5, 2025; listed as a final written decision. It is among the originating PTAB cases in Proxense's Federal Circuit appeal.
Apple petitioned for IPR challenging all claims of the '654 patent, and Google LLC joined as a party. The Board issued a Final Written Decision on July 2, 2024, finding claims 1-19 unpatentable as obvious, and the decision was appealed to the Federal Circuit.
IPR instituted on Apple's petition with Google joining, challenging claims 1-20 of the '868 patent. The PTAB found all challenged claims obvious, and the Federal Circuit affirmed.
IPR challenging all claims 1-21 of the '190 patent. The Board issued a decision on settlement prior to institution of trial on March 6, 2023 and terminated the proceeding after a joint motion to terminate.
Apple petitioned for inter partes review of the '785 patent owned by Mozido, Inc. (now Fintiv, Inc.). The PTAB instituted on all challenged claims 1-21 and issued a Final Written Decision on January 2, 2024, finding some challenged claims unpatentable; Director Review was denied on February 22, 2024, and the decision was appealed.
Apple Inc., Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., and Samsung Electronics America, Inc. filed an inter partes review petition against Smart Mobile Technologies LLC directed at U.S. Patent No. 8,761,739. The PTAB instituted review on December 5, 2022, issued a Final Written Decision, and an IPR certificate issued on January 5, 2024.
Apple petitioned for inter partes review of the '705 patent; institution was denied on December 6, 2022, and Google Patents metadata lists the status as settlement.
Apple Inc. challenged the patentability of US8472936 before the PTAB. The PTAB issued a Final Written Decision, which was appealed. The Federal Circuit later reversed in part, vacated in part, and remanded, concluding the Board was precluded from finding certain claims of US8472936 patentable due to issue preclusion with claims from related patents 8761739 and 8442501 previously found unpatentable in other IPRs.
Apple filed an Inter Partes Review petition challenging the patent. The Patent Trial and Appeal Board declined to institute the review.
Apple filed an Inter Partes Review challenging the validity of patent 8411557, but the PTAB denied institution, thereby affirming the patent's validity.
Apple filed an inter partes review petition challenging U.S. Patent 9,757,040. The Board did not institute the review on the merits.
Apple filed an inter partes review petition against Qualcomm; the narrative reports it as indexed under US 9,552,633 but could not confirm whether it targets the '633 patent specifically versus a related Qualcomm patent. The Board dismissed and terminated the proceeding before institution on May 1, 2019, following the global settlement.
Apple petitioned for inter partes review of claims 1, 2, and 5-7 of the '674 patent. The Board's final written decision held those claims unpatentable, but the Federal Circuit vacated and remanded, and later reversed the Board; an IPR certificate issued September 25, 2025.
Inter partes review petition by Apple against Qualcomm challenging U.S. 7,693,002; a Final Written Decision issued and the proceeding terminated January 6, 2020, with an IPR certificate for U.S. 7,693,002 issued September 20, 2021.
Inter partes review proceedings where the PTAB found several claims of U.S. Patent 6,502,135 to be unpatentable. This decision was subsequently appealed by VirnetX.
Apple Inc. filed an Inter Partes Review (IPR) petition challenging the validity of US 11,991,600. The PTAB has not yet decided whether to institute a trial. The outcome could significantly impact the related district court litigation.
The Board instituted Inter Partes Review on October 15, 2024. This IPR challenges claims 1-4 of the '337 patent.
This ex parte reexamination, requested by Apple and Motorola Mobility, was stayed pending an IPR, then reopened. SoftView LLC subsequently amended claims, which were initially deemed patentable over prior art.
Apple Inc. challenged the validity of Zentian Ltd.'s US Patent 10839789 before the CAFC, arguing its claims were obvious over US Patent 5819222 and US Patent 6832194. The CAFC vacated and remanded a PTAB decision that had previously favored Zentian Ltd., indicating errors in the PTAB's claim interpretation in light of prior art.
Apple Inc. filed an IPR related to the 9,769,314 family; Google Patents litigation metadata lists this case against the '314 patent. The proceeding is marked settled per that metadata.
Apple filed a copy of Google's petition and a motion for joinder in an inter partes review of US 9,679,289. Joinder was granted with IPR2024-00783, and a final written decision was reached.
Federal Circuit appeal involving the '533 patent. US 9,995,722 not confirmed as asserted.
Apple appealed the standing/ownership issue, arguing Dr. Islam's University of Michigan employment agreement automatically assigned the patents to UM. The Federal Circuit affirmed that Omni had standing because there was no present assignment. The '286 patent was expressly identified as one of the asserted patents in this dispute.