Apple Faces Lawsuit Over Continuity Camera Patent and Antitrust Claims

Apple this week got sued successful a New Jersey Federal tribunal by the shaper of mobile video app Camo, alleging Apple stole its exertion erstwhile the institution integrated its Continuity Camera diagnostic into iOS 16 successful 2022.


Released by London-based Reincubate successful 2020, the Camo app enables iPhone and Android smartphones to beryllium utilized arsenic webcams for desktop-based video calls.

Apple's Continuity Camera serves a akin relation wrong its ain ecosystem, allowing an iPhone to beryllium utilized arsenic a wireless webcam with a adjacent Mac that is signed into the aforesaid Apple Account.

Reincubate said the tech elephantine copied patented features from its Camo app and incorporated them into its mobile operating strategy successful bid to "redirect idiosyncratic request to Apple's ain platform-tied offering."

According to the lawsuit, Apple "actively induced and encouraged" Reincubate to make and marketplace Camo for iOS, past aboriginal copied its functionality and built it into iOS arsenic Continuity Camera.
"In astir of those cases, Apple has not actively induced the developer to trial and physique software," the suit said. "Here, Apple actively cultivated a narration of spot with Reincubate, induced the institution to stock method details, beta builds, and marketplace data, and leveraged that privileged entree to pass its ain improvement of Continuity Camera."Reincubate called Apple's behaviour an illustration of "Sherlocking," which refers to Apple gathering an app oregon strategy diagnostic that duplicates functionality antecedently offered by a third-party app.

"Rather than competing with us, Apple deployed a bid of obstacles to tilt the playing field, infringed our IP, and did truthful successful work of preventing contention from rival platforms," Reincubate CEO Aidan Fitzpatrick said successful a connection fixed to Reuters.

"Apple competes reasonably portion respecting the intelligence spot rights of others, and these camera features were developed internally by Apple engineers," Apple responded successful a statement.

Aside from accusing Apple of infringing its patents, Reincubate's suit was filed arsenic an antitrust claim, alleging that Apple violates U.S. instrumentality by locking users into its ecosystem and preventing them from switching to competitors. Reincubate has requested unspecified monetary damages and tribunal orders that would artifact Apple's alleged misconduct.
This article, "Apple Faces Lawsuit Over Continuity Camera Patent and Antitrust Claims" archetypal appeared connected MacRumors.com

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