By Rajwa Quasim
German chemical company BASF sued Apple for patent infringement in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas in Midland on Thursday. Apple is accused of using BASF’s patented face-authentication technology without a license.
BASF subsidiary trinamiX alleged that Apple is using technology covered by seven trinamiX patents in a range of iPhones and iPads, including recent devices such as the iPhone 15, iPhone 16 and iPhone 17.
BASF said, “Apple knew or should have known of the high probability that updating its iPhones and iPads to incorporate Face ID using material and skin detection” infringed seven trinamiX patents, causing “substantial damages and irreparable injury.”
According to the complaint, trinamiX said it spent the last decade developing technology to address a security gap that makes conventional facial recognition systems vulnerable to spoofing. Previously, this could have made it easier for fraudsters to defeat face-unlock features using photographs, 3D-printed masks and silicone replicas.
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The complaint further said Apple did not use its patented technology when Face ID first launched on the iPhone X in 2017, but later incorporated the technology into other models. The company developed technology capable of detecting the properties of human skin and materials to determine whether a face presented to a device is genuine.
Apple did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit. The allegations have not been tested in court.
Although the chemical company is known for coatings, catalysts and agricultural chemicals rather than consumer electronics or facial recognition systems, trinamiX grew out of BASF’s research into organic solar cells. It made its first discovery in 2010, which eventually contributed to the development of 3D cameras and material-sensing technologies. BASF established trinamiX as an independent subsidiary in 2014. The company now holds more than 800 granted and pending patents worldwide, according to the company.
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Apple introduced Face ID in its devices nearly a decade ago. If the court finds the company liable for patent infringement, the case could have significant implications and result in substantial financial damages.
The case is among Apple’s long list of patent disputes involving its hardware and software technologies. In 2016, the iPhone maker was ordered to pay $625 million to VirnetX for infringing patents related to FaceTime, iMessage and VPN on Demand services.
Later that year, a federal judge threw out a verdict requiring Apple to pay VirnetX $625.6 million, saying it was unfair to Apple that two VirnetX lawsuits had been combined into a single trial.
After a legal battle that lasted more than a decade, Apple paid VirnetX $440 million to resolve one set of patent claims but successfully overturned a separate $503 million verdict in a major legal victory.