When it comes to what patent trolls will try, nothing is off the table. But Texas-based Corydoras Technologies LLC has taken the practice of buying old, generic patents and then claiming infringements to new lows. The company is suing Apple because its iPhones can make calls and send emails.
Specifically, Corydoras has launched a lawsuit against the Cupertino company as 20 of its devices are capable of "making phone calls, FaceTime calls, and/or FaceTime Audio calls using voice commands," according to Patently Apple.
Corydoras recently acquired a series of patents from Japan which it claims are "presumed valid." The company wants Apple to pay up because some of the main functions of the 20 named devices - including the iPhone 4 and above, iPad 2 and above, and iPad mini and above - supposedly infringe on these patents.
In addition to the voice/FaceTime calls, Corydoras says other Apple infringements include sending and receiving emails, front-facing cameras, displaying geographic locations, a microphone and speaker, specifically assigned ringtones, call-blocking, and the virtual assistant (because Siri can perform voice-controlled dialing).
The lawsuit was filed on Friday in the Texas Eastern District Court in Anderson County, which has seen its fair share of patent troll suits. The case is set to be heard by Judge Rodney Gilstrap, and will hopefully be dismissed quickly.
Corydoras isn't actually new to this level of patent trolling. It brought an almost identical lawsuit against Samsung in March using the same patents, only to have the case dismissed in April.
Apple and Corydoras Technologies have not commented on the lawsuit.