Lawsuit claims Apple Maps infringes on navigation patents

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in General Discussion
Apple has been hit with a lawsuit alleging that its Apple Maps platform infringes on a pair of navigation-related patents.

Apple Maps. Credit: Apple
Apple Maps. Credit: Apple


The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on Tuesday, names New Jersey-based non-practicing entity Omnitek as its plaintiff and takes aim at Apple's navigation platforms.

Omnitek holds a portfolio of patents, and claims that Apple Maps infringes on technologies described in two of them: U.S. Patent Nos. 8,645,057 and 8,224,569. Both are focused on software-based driving directions, and detail methods of providing driving directions without text entry.

For example, instead of inputting text to denote start and end points of a navigation route, the patented technology allows for users to select those locations using taps, drags and other gestures. User preferences, like avoiding toll roads, is also described in the IP.

The plaintiff alleges that Apple directly and knowingly infringes on its intellectual property, and that its actions "aid and abet others to infringe" by way of advertising or providing instruction manuals to Apple Maps users.

The lawsuit demands a jury trial, and seeks damages and attorneys' fees.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 11
    bloggerblogbloggerblog Posts: 2,464member
    “ instead of inputting text to denote start and end points of a navigation route, the patented technology allows for users to select those locations using taps, drags and other gestures.”
    Apple should definitely move to nullify such ridiculous patent, and find the patent prosecutor who approved it to beat an apology out of them. 
    bshankwatto_cobrallama
  • Reply 2 of 11
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,096member
    These patent-trolls are the cancers of the tech industry.
    mike1bshankwatto_cobraCuJoYYCllama
  • Reply 3 of 11
    FileMakerFellerFileMakerFeller Posts: 1,546member
    I agree that these patents seem obvious, but perhaps in 2009 and 2005 (the filing dates for the patents in the order listed in the article) there was some slight grounds for granting them. I think it's going to be a tough one to win for the plaintiff.

    But this article lacks detail that would give better context for this lawsuit. Has Google been sued as well, or approached for a licensing deal? What about TomTom or other GPS manufacturers?
    watto_cobraCuJoYYC
  • Reply 4 of 11
    jdgazjdgaz Posts: 404member
    I never tap or drag to get direction. I just ask Siri 
    watto_cobraCuJoYYC
  • Reply 5 of 11
    joeljonesjoeljones Posts: 6member
    I have prior art from April 1999.
    llamawatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 11
    dysamoriadysamoria Posts: 3,430member
    I just can’t take any tech industry patent or patent lawsuit seriously any more.
    watto_cobraCuJoYYC
  • Reply 7 of 11
    mr lizardmr lizard Posts: 354member
    How did they fair against Google?

    They sued Google too, right? 
  • Reply 8 of 11
    genovellegenovelle Posts: 1,480member
    FileMakerFeller said:
    I agree that these patents seem obvious, but perhaps in 2009 and 2005 (the filing dates for the patents in the order listed in the article) there was some slight grounds for granting them. I think it's going to be a tough one to win for the plaintiff.

    But this article lacks detail that would give better context for this lawsuit. Has Google been sued as well, or approached for a licensing deal? What about TomTom or other GPS manufacturers?
    Considering these are features that were included on the original map program on the iPhone that Apple design with Google’s data, and they had been working on since 2005, how is this relevant 
  • Reply 9 of 11
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,213member
    I agree that these patents seem obvious, but perhaps in 2009 and 2005 (the filing dates for the patents in the order listed in the article) there was some slight grounds for granting them. I think it's going to be a tough one to win for the plaintiff.

    But this article lacks detail that would give better context for this lawsuit. Has Google been sued as well, or approached for a licensing deal? What about TomTom or other GPS manufacturers?
    It wouldn't matter if NO one else was sued. Sometimes it's the other guy that gets tagged first and sometimes it isn't. 

    But to at least partially answer your question Apple is not the first they've sued over navigation patents. Earlier last year they sued GM, Ford, Toyota, and Mazda among others (Western District of Texas of course).
    https://insight.rpxcorp.com/news/62387
    edited January 2021
  • Reply 10 of 11
    ThinkmanDuvThinkmanDuv Posts: 22member
    I almost thought I'd get through one day without seeing some jackal suing Apple, but at the last minute, there were 2. And surprise…… this one is being litigated in Texas……where the jackals always win. ALWAYS!
    llama
  • Reply 11 of 11
    MacQuadra840avMacQuadra840av Posts: 207member
    I would imagine they would some how have to come up with damages, meaning trying to figure out the very tiny percentage of people that actually use Apple Maps.  The patent troll should be suing TomTom and OpenStreetMap and other data providers, since that is what Apple Maps is based on.  Apple did not create their own mapping system.  They acquired it from TomTom.  Just open Apple Maps and tap on the 'i' icon in the upper right corner.  At the bottom of Map Settings, it says 'TomTom OpenStreetMap and other data providers'.

    If people actually wanted to get to their destination, they use Google Maps or Waze.  Apple Maps is still far behind the others.
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