Apple is facing a lawsuit from Qui Tam for patent infringement, a judge ruled.
Apple is in the midst of a patent dispute with Tam, who has a lawsuit pending against the company for allegedly stealing ideas for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
Tam’s lawsuit alleges that Apple stole designs and ideas from him in order to market its iPhone 6, 6 Plus and iPhone X smartphones.
Tam filed his patent infringement suit against Apple in February 2016, and Apple responded by claiming Tam was infringing on its patent portfolio.
Apple said Tam was trying to make money off of Apple’s patents, but Tam says Apple is trying to take his intellectual property rights.
Apple has denied the allegations.
Apple filed an answer to Tam’s lawsuit last month, saying that Tam’s patents have nothing to do with the iPhone or the iPhone X.
Apple said Tam’s patent infringement claims were “without merit,” and it said Apple has filed more than 4,000 patent applications with Tam’s court-appointed attorney.
Apple also said Tam is a licensed patent owner and that Tam has a valid patent for the same invention that Apple is suing.
Tam is currently in the process of negotiating with Apple, but it’s not clear whether that will lead to a settlement.
Apple will need to provide a detailed response to Tam, including any other evidence, if it wants to settle the case, and it will likely need to settle Tam’s case before a trial date is set.