Apple and Broadcom have reached an agreement with the California Institute of Technology to end a patent lawsuit that began back in 2016. Caltech’s lawsuit centered around its accusations that Wi-Fi chips made by Broadcom and used by Apple infringed upon its patented technology.

Caltech filed the lawsuit in 2016, saying that all of Apple’s products infringed upon its patents: iPhone, iPad, Mac, iMac, Apple Watch, Apple TV, HomePod, and even the discontinued AirPort routers. The patents in question related to Wi-Fi performance and balancing speed with factors like heat, power, and chip size.

The lawsuit went to trial in early 2020, and a jury ruled that Apple and Broadcom had infringed on the patents. Apple and Broadcom were ordered to pay a combined $1.1 billion to Caltech, with Apple on the hook for $837.8 million and Broadcom for $270.2 million.

Apple appealed the ruling, and the damages amount was ruled legally unsustainable. A new trial was granted for June 2023 to reevaluate the total amount, but that trial was indefinitely postponed a month before it was slated to start.

That brings us to where we are today. As reported by Reuters, Caltech has come to an agreement with Apple and Broadcom to settle this long-running patent lawsuit. The details of the settlement are unknown, but Caltech has agreed to dismiss the case “with prejudice,” meaning it can’t be refiled.

Source: 9to5mac