Apple could exit the UK market if it is forced to hand over $ 7 billion (£ 5 billion) to a patent troll, a lawyer for the company has said. The lawyer called the charges “commercially unacceptable” and comes as Apple could be fined for its use of the Optis Cellular Technology patents.
Optis says Apple used its patents relating to 3G and 4G technologies used in iPhones, which a High Court judge ruled was indeed the case with two of the company’s patents. But according to a This Is Money report, the prospect of having to hand over as much as $ 7 billion has allowed Apple to pull out of the UK altogether. Or at least that’s what one of his lawyers seems to think.
US tech giant Apple has threatened to leave the UK on a $ 7bn (£ 5bn) legal line.
Apple’s lawyers have warned it could exit the UK market if a court requires the company to pay “commercially unacceptable” fees for the technology used in its iPhones.
The extraordinary threat raises the prospect of an end to sales of new iPhones in the UK and restriction of services and upgrades to existing customers.
Apple issued the warning in a legal battle with UK patent holder Optis Cellular Technology.
Optis is suing Apple for patent infringement after the iPhone maker refused to pay license fees worth a potential $ 7 billion for the use of “standardized” smartphone technology in its products.
A High Court judge ruled last month that Apple had infringed two Optis patents, which help iPhones connect to 3G and 4G networks.
The prospect of Apple leaving the UK is something that seems highly unlikely given that it is one of Apple’s largest markets and the company has several flagship stores in London alone. Apple is already on the cusp of selling a ton of iPhone 13 handsets this fall for example, and it won’t be walking away from that money anytime soon.
If the name Optis means anything to you, it’s because it has already overturned a similar decision in the United States.
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