Like all great companies, things cannot always go smoothly. Due to bad practices, whether intentional or not, problems often arise with users or other companies. The latter is exactly what has happened, where a smart bottle company has filed a sues Apple for breach of patent.
It is rare for a company the size of Apple to have an error of this magnitude, but it seems that it does. It is not the first time that those in Cupertino have problems, since the last cloth the company had to compensate a class action lawsuit by users who complained about the performance of their iPhone 6 and 7. The court sentence punished Apple with a Million dollar fine for slowing down those models on purpose with updates.
Apple breaches patent, according to lawsuit from smart bottle company
This is a somewhat curious matter, considering where the demand made comes from and that, in principle, it has nothing to do with your business model. As it points AppleInsider, it turns out that an Ohio-based company called Xennial IP has sued Apple for selling smart water bottles compatible with Apple Watch.
Something that a priori does not seem illegal, may mean that Tim Cook’s company has infringed two patents covering similar technology. Obviously Apple does not make smart bottles with connectivity features. However, if you enter its online store you can see what it offers HidrateSpark devices. These devices can connect to an Apple Watch, monitor fluid intake, and set daily goals. All this connectivity works through its low consumption bluetooth.
In addition, it is a bottle that lights up with different lights to remind you to hydrate during the day. It has a fairly modern and very premium design, as well as a long-lasting battery. It is a bottle with innovative functions and that comes in handy for sports.
Without a doubt, they are obvious reasons why the company that owns the patent did not like this move by Apple at all. That is why it has formalized this lawsuit for breaching the patent number 7,792,409 and number 10,664,571. These patents, translated into words, refer to a communicative sports water bottle, which can be connected to a smart device and which collects health metrics such as water intake.
For the Ohio District Court, this appears to be reason enough for Apple to directly infringe the patent by trying to sell these water bottles. The lawsuit, which you can read in this article if you are interested, will be resolved in a trial. In short, it seeks to prohibit the non-compliance of more infractions, as well as a Compensation for damages. A conflict that Apple will cost a good slice of its budget.