TrinamiX, a subsidiary of the German chemical giant BASF, has sued Apple in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, accusing the company of infringing seven patents related to the face authentication technology used in Face ID.
In its complaint, TrinamiX says it spent years developing technology intended to prevent face-unlock systems from being fooled by a photo, a fake mask, or a silicone copy of a person’s face. The company alleges that newer iPhones and iPads incorporate that technology even though Apple’s original version of Face ID, introduced with the iPhone X in 2017, did not.
Face ID technology at issue
According to the complaint, TrinamiX’s system is designed to distinguish real skin from items such as photos or masks, adding checks that conventional optical face-scanning methods would miss. The seven patents at issue cover two areas: detecting skin during face unlock and identifying the material composition of what is being scanned.
The complaint alleges that “Apple knew or should have known of the high probability that updating its iPhones and iPads to incorporate Face ID using material and skin detection” infringed the seven TrinamiX patents, causing “substantial damages and irreparable injury.”
TrinamiX names a broad range of Apple devices as accused products, including the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16, iPhone 16e, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 17, iPhone 17e, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, 11-inch iPad Pro (4th generation), 12.9-inch iPad Pro (6th generation), and the 11- and 13-inch iPad Pro models with the M4 and M5 chips.
TrinamiX is asking the court to find that Apple infringed its patents, to enjoin Apple from making, using, selling, offering for sale, or importing the accused products, and to award damages and attorneys’ fees. The company has requested a jury trial. The full complaint is available via IP Fray.
