TCL Hit With Texas Patent Suit Over Smartphone Camera Technology

A Nevada-based patent owner sued TCL Technology Group Corp. saying its smartphones infringe patent-protected camera technology, even as its patent appears to have expired.

C47 Technologies LLC alleged the TCL 10, 20, and 30 model smartphones’ cameras use methods similar to those in US Patent No. 10,984,605 in a complaint filed Tuesday in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Texas.

The patent expired in October 2022, Bloomberg Law estimates.

The ‘605 patent deals with “camera arrangements with backlighting detection,” according to the complaint. C47 said the technology and method covered improve the quality of images.

TCL products’ ...