Apple Defeats Phone Security Patents in Federal Circuit Appeal

The Federal Circuit upheld a district court’s finding that Apple Inc. didn’t infringe two phone-security patents.

Patent owner R.N. Nehushtan Trust Ltd. accepted the district court’s interpretation of a “device unique security setting” as recited in both of its patents—US Patents No. 9,642,002 and 9,635,544—but that definition differed from the security functions associated with device updates and data downloads on certain iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches, Judge Todd M. Hughes wrote in a short opinion issued Wednesday by the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

The panel rejected RNN’s argument that the US District Court for the ...