Apple faces patent lawsuit in US over iPhone security tools: Report
A
non-practicing entity has filed a case against Apple in the US, claiming
certain iPhone security features like user passcodes and other unlock methods
infringe on owned patents.
Lodged
in the patent holder-friendly US District Court for the Western District of
Texas, the suit from Altpass LLC claims Apple's iPhone infringes on a pair of
patents that detail methods of creating digital signatures that can later be
used for user authentication. This can include passcode and password creation,
as well as Face ID technology, the complaint alleges.
According
to a report in AppleInsider, Altpass is leveraging US Patent Nos. 7,725,725 and
8,429,415, intellectual property filed for in 2006 and 2010, respectively.
The
IP covers a fairly broad method of creating a "signature" (passcode,
alphanumeric code, Face ID) and storing it for later retrieval using that
signature to unlock a device.
More
specifically, claims in both patents detail generating a signature by recording
a signal from a keyboard, camera or other input mechanism, noting measurable
variations in input as dictated by the user and storing at least a part of that
data. This reference signature is later matched with user input for
authentication purposes.
As
proof of the alleged infringement, Altpass directs the court to a section of
Apple's iPhone user guide for iOS 14 that covers setting or changing a passcode
The
plaintiff seeks a finding of infringement and monetary damages in its lawsuit.
According
to the report, not much is known about Altpass and the company fails to provide
sufficient background in its filing, saying only that it operates out of an
office in Austin, Texas.
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