TrinamiX, a subsidiary of German chemical giant BASF, is suing Apple in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, accusing the company of infringing seven patents related to facial authentication technology used in Face ID.
In his complaint, first reported by ReuterstrinamiX said it has spent years developing technology to prevent people from tricking face unlock systems with a photo, fake mask or silicone copy of someone’s face.
The complaint states that Apple’s original version of Face ID, introduced with the iPhone X in 2017, did not use trinamiX technology, unlike newer iPhones and iPads. TrinamiX’s system is designed to distinguish real skin from things like photos or masks, essentially adding a check that detects fakes that conventional optical facial scanning methods would miss.
The complaint alleges that “Apple knew or should have known that updating its iPhones and iPads to integrate Face ID using material and skin detection was highly likely” infringed seven trinamiX patents, causing “significant and irreparable harm.” The seven patents cover two areas: detecting skin when unlocking the face and identifying what material an object is made of.
TrinamiX names a wide range of Apple devices as accused products, including 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, the iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17. 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air, 11-inch iPad Pro (4th generation), 12.9-inch iPad Pro (6th generation), and the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models with the M4 and M5 chips.
TrinamiX asks the court to find that Apple infringed its patents, to prevent Apple from making, using, selling, offering for sale or importing the accused products, and to award damages and attorneys’ fees. The company requested a jury trial. The full complaint is available via IP Fray.
