A Russian court denied patent protection to an inventor who sued Apple.

Ikonomov had a patent for a mobile phone with emergency communications. He demanded that Apple be prohibited from selling iPhones with the “Emergency Call – SOS” function, believing that this violates his rights, and that he would recover 295 billion rubles from the company. According to the plaintiff, we were talking about the iPhone 5S, 7, 8, X, XR, SE, 11 and 12 models imported into Russia, which, according to him, use his technology without consent.

In June 2024, Ikonomov’s patent was revoked at the request of Apple Rus due to expiration and lack of novelty in the utility model. Ikonomov tried to appeal Rospatent’s decision, but lost.

In mid-2022, the court also rejected Ikonomov’s demand for 295 billion rubles, after which he filed an appeal. At the end of 2022, the case was suspended for examination. In October 2023, production resumed, but in November it was suspended again with the appointment of a new exam. The revocation of the patent may become the basis for the dismissal of Ikonomov’s lawsuit against Apple for 295 billion rubles in the Moscow City Court, said legal advisor Igor Chuschinov.

In early January, Apple agreed to pay $95 million to settle a class-action lawsuit. It alleged that Siri was listening to people without their permission and sharing the information with advertisers so they could target their ads based on keywords. However, a few days later she denied these accusations.