BASF sues Apple in US, says iPhones infringe face authentication patents | Reuters

The world of corporate intellectual property is always interesting to me. 

Here’s a case where BASF created a means to detect people’s faces, and patented it. 

And Apple is accused of having stolen it for use in iPhones. They filed suit and the most likely outcome is that Apple winds up licensing it from BASF. Of course it’s also possible they created a new piece of technology, and they get the case dismissed.  

But one thing to keep in mind: when Apple first invented the iPhone, much of their camera technology was “likely” infringing on some things Kodak had developed. But Kodak was a little disorganized at that time and also had some financial difficulties. So they chose not to pursue legal action. Thus letting Apple “steal” some of their work (or so would seem). 

https://www.reuters.com/world/basf-sues-apple-us-allegedly-infringing-its-face-authentication-patents-2026-09-03/