A lawsuit filed on Tuesday accuses Apple of infringing a 2010 patent via the battery charging technology in the iPhone 6s, along with "any similar devices."
The complaint, lodged by Somaltus LLC in a U.S. District Court for Eastern Texas, specifically targets the "fast-charge" features of the 6s battery, MacRumors noted. The phone is said to use a system that that maximizes charging speeds whenever the battery is below 80 percent capacity, above which it switches to a trickle-charge mode. The feature helps maintain the battery's longevity.
That technology violates at least the first claim of U.S. Patent No. 7,657,386, according to Somaltus. In compensation the company is asking for either unspecified damage payments or ongoing royalties.
The company has also filed separate suits against Asus, Lenovo, Samsung, Sony, and Toshiba.
While Somaltus appears to be non-practicing patent troll of the sort Apple is used to, the latter party could potentially be pressured into a settlement. Somaltus has already settled with carmakers such as Ford and Nissan over the patent, and for Apple settlement costs might be preferable to the expenses of a protracted court battle and/or an unfavorable ruling.