Apple accused of infringing Siri patents

U.S. tech company Cerence, formerly part of Nuance Communications, has filed a lawsuit against Apple in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas.

According to the complaint, Apple products including the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and HomePod use technologies covered by Cerence’s patents. These include systems for the “Hey Siri” wake word and methods for text input on virtual keyboards.

Cerence claims that as early as 2021 it offered Apple licenses for its technology or the option to purchase certain patents outright. Among them were word pattern recognition on virtual keyboards, “slide to type” features that let users swipe across keys to form words, as well as techniques for optimizing text input and recognizing voice commands while operating in low-power mode.

The company says Apple received presentations, tables mapping Cerence’s patents against Apple’s own applications, and diagrams showing how the technologies aligned with Apple’s products. Negotiations, however, ended without a deal, and Apple allegedly continued to use the contested features in its devices.

In the lawsuit, Cerence is asking the court to confirm Apple’s infringement, prohibit further use of its technologies, and order Apple to pay damages, including ongoing royalties. The company has also requested a jury trial.