Apple Insider reports that a lawsuit between Koss and Apple over patent infringement on AirPods has been settled, with both sides filing motions to dismiss the lawsuit. Koss, a maker of headphones and audio accessories, tried to take on Apple two years ago, claiming that the Cupertino tech giant had infringed on several of the company’s patents.
On July 23, in a “joint dismissal stipulation” filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, Apple and Koss’ legal teams stated that the parties have resolved all matters in dispute between them.
Apple Insider notes that both companies have filed motions to dismiss, stating that KOSS’s allegations against Apple were somewhat biased, while Apple’s claims against Koss were relatively unbiased.
"In other words, Koss will not be able to bring the same case against Apple again in that court, but Apple may still be able to bring the case on its own terms. In the meantime, the two companies will each bear the expense of legal costs, and a template document was provided in the filing for an order to be signed by U.S. District Judge Alan D. Albright."
In a lawsuit originally filed in July 2020, Koss reportedly claimed that Apple had frequently infringed on several of the company’s patents.
Among them were wireless headphones that use transceiver circuitry involving audio that can be transmitted from a digital audio player, computer or wireless network, and AirPods, AirPods Pro and Beats by Dre wireless products were included.
Another patent covers configuring devices to work on wireless networks, meaning that the HomePod smart compressor and Apple Watch smartwatch are also considered infringements by Koss.
The patents were both granted to Koss in 2019, nearly three years after AirPods first hit the market and about 12 years after Apple released its first Bluetooth headphones for the iPhone.
"In response, Apple filed documents in August 2020 calling Koss's claims unfounded and alleging that Koss had violated the confidentiality agreement since 2017. The contract dates back to August 2017, when the parties entered into an ongoing licensing agreement and prevented any licensed communications from being used in litigation."
In addition, Koss reportedly insisted on signing a written non-disclosure agreement, despite Apple’s desire for “unfettered” discussions.
"Apple has determined that the contract not only prevented Apple from commenting on Koss in court, but also prevented Koss from doing the same, but the latter appears to have violated the agreement. It is unclear exactly what considerations led to the joint decision between the two companies to withdraw the lawsuit, or whether any other factors outside of the lawsuit contributed to the decision."
Finally, neither Koss nor Apple has commented publicly in the first instance on the foreign media reports.
