Apple allies with Intel in antitrust case against SoftBank-owned Fortress
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Apple allies with Intel in antitrust case against SoftBank-owned Fortress
Apple has a bone to pick with Fortress Investment Group
Recap: Last month, Intel made it clear is was prepared to go to war with Fortress, a SoftBank owned investment arm. The litigation war stems from patent infringement lawsuits brought against Intel. The chip maker, for its part, asserts that Fortress has stockpiled patents in a manner that is unlawful and anti-competitive. Intel seemed perfectly willing to test Fortress' patents in court alone, however it's now gained a formidable ally with Apple joining the fray.
Apple and Intel have joined suit against the SoftBank-controlled Fortress Investment Group, following Intel's original suit against Fortress last month. Intel's original filing has now been retracted, being replaced with a new lawsuit listing Apple as a plaintiff.
The new lawsuit echoes the accusations found in the first one, but adds a new set of patents and complaints from Apple. Specifically, Apple alleges it has "suffered economic harm in the form of litigation costs and diversion of resources away from innovation to respond to these entities' serial nuisance suits."
Apple also notes that firms associated with Fortress have brought at least 25 lawsuits against the company, seeking between $2.6B and $5.1B in damages. Now, Apple and Intel are responding to Fortress in chorus, accusing Fortress of anti-competitive and unlawful patent aggregation, with the intent of suing other technology companies. As Anandtech notes, they are seeking the following:
a) That Defendants' unlawful conduct be declared a violation of Section 1 of the Sherman Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1; Section 7 of the Clayton Act, 15 U.S.C. § 18; and Cal. Bu