Apple could exit the UK market if it is forced to pay too much money on a patent, the company's lawyer says, after losing a case last month involving Optis Wireless, which initially won a $506 million award against Apple in the US before the decision was overturned on appeal.
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Apple threatens to quit the UK in a $7 billion row.
Apple's lawyers have warned that it could abandon the UK market if the court forces the company to pay a "commercially unacceptable" fee for technology used in its iPhones.
The threat raises the prospect of ending new iPhone sales in the UK and limiting services and upgrades to existing customers.
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Apple issued the warning as part of a legal battle with UK patent holder Optis Cellular Technology.
Optis sued Apple for patent infringement after the company refused to pay licensing fees worth a potential $7 billion for using “standard” smartphone technology in its products.
A Supreme Court judge ruled last month that Apple infringed two Optis patents, which help iPhones connect to 3G and 4G networks.
The second ruling that has upset Apple is that the UK Supreme Court has said that any decision it makes on how much the iPhone maker must pay will apply worldwide, not just to its sales in the UK.
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The judge expressed reservations about the idea of Apple exiting the British market, but the company's lawyer insisted it could do so.
The idea of Apple abandoning the UK market is of course ridiculous, but the case again highlights the need for global patent reform to end the process of acquiring companies on the basis of either broad patenting based on standards or overly broad patenting with the sole purpose of extracting money from tech companies.
Information source: 9to5mac.com
