Qualcomm is among the world’s most significant makers of mobile chips.
Stephen Shankland/CNET
A previous Apple engineer affirmed Monday that a few of his concepts are at the heart of a controversial copyright case, however stopped short of declaring he’s a creator on a contested Qualcomm patent.
Arjuna Siva, a previous Apple engineer, made the declarations in statement throughout a trial in San Diego over 3 patents that Qualcomm declares Apple infringed in some designs of its popular iPhone. Apple has actually argued that Siva ought to be called as a co-inventor of among those patents, which covers innovation that enables a mobile phone to rapidly link to the web once the gadget has actually booted.
On Monday, Siva, who canceled an initial look at the trial just to later on reverse that choice, didn’t request credit for the patent in his statement.
“I don’t think I’m claiming to be an inventor,” Siva, who now operates at Google, informed the court.
Siva’s statement might produce an obstacle for Apple, which had actually seen him as an essential witness. After Siva revoked affirming, Apple submitted a subpoena for him to appear.
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Apple vs. Qualcomm: Court battles explained
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Though the engineer didn’t claim to be an inventor, he did say he contributed to several elements of the technology that makes the boot-up process faster. “This was my idea,” he told the court. He also said he was “surprised” and “upset” after Qualcomm filed for the patent.
After Siva was dismissed from the stand, Apple reiterated its argument that he was a co-inventor of the technology. “I believe Mr. Siva should have been included” on the patent, said Bill Lin, an Apple expert witness and computer science professor at the University of California, San Diego.
The patent case is part of a wide-ranging legal battle between the tech giants. Two years ago, the Federal Trade Commission accused Qualcomm of operating a monopoly in modem chips, a move that was backed by Intel and Apple. The agency argued Qualcomm’s high royalty rates prevented competition and has, in turn, driven up the cost of phones and hurt consumers. A trial concluded in January and a decision is pending.
The trial, presided over by US District Judge Dana Sabraw, is the most technical part of the multifront legal battle. But it could have implications for how your phone is made and what it costs. Aside from the boot-up patent, the companies are warring over a patent that covers graphics processing and battery life, and another that covers tech that lets apps download data more easily by shifting traffic between the apps processor and the modem.
When it comes to the boot-up patent, most of the events being discussed took place in 2010, a year before Apple started using chips from Qualcomm in its iPhones. Siva was asked why he still recalls so much from that time. He said he was “proud” when his ideas made it into the final product.
“It’s something I really remember, and look back with fondness,” Siva said. “I was a kid two and a half years out of college. I thought it was a pretty big deal for me.”
