BASF sues Apple over face authentication patents in Texas court
German chemical giant BASF has filed a lawsuit against Apple in the U.S. District Court in Midland, Texas, alleging that iPhone and iPad models infringe on its seven patented technologies for face recognition security.
BASF sued Apple on Thursday in the U.S. District Court in Midland, Texas. The complaint accuses the technology giant of violating patents held by BASF's trinamiX unit regarding face authentication technology. BASF claims Apple did not use this specific technology when it introduced Face ID with the iPhone X in 2017 but now employs it across various devices including iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models. BASF states that its development efforts began around 2010 after scientists discovered new properties while working on organic solar cells. The company argues Apple knew or should have known of the infringement probability caused by material and skin detection methods. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and an injunction to stop further violations. Apple declined to comment immediately. Recent sales data shows iPhone revenue reached $196.5 billion in the nine months ending June 27 while iPad revenue totaled $21.7 billion.
