The Spanish inventor who won $110 million from Apple thanks to his American patent.

Once again, the United States proves to be fertile ground for the protection of intellectual property—especially when it comes to patents held by Spanish inventors. American patents are particularly valuable due to the legal certainty they provide and their proximity to funding sources that empower inventors to defend their rights with the utmost rigor.

The central figure in this patent litigation on American soil is the Spanish inventor Álvaro López-Medrano, an electrical engineer who also holds a master’s degree in Aerospace. Álvaro is the CEO and founder of TOT Power Control, a company from which several inventions related to power management and 3G/UMTS networks have been developed.

patentes americanas

What is the patent at the center of the dispute about?

The invention developed by the Spanish engineer consists of a logic that significantly improves the relationship between the energy consumed by mobile phones during network connections. In very simple terms, the logic described in the patent allows for improved battery life in mobile phones while also reducing network interference.

What is the Spanish inventor's lawsuit against Apple about?

After a thorough technical investigation into Apple's well-known phones, inventor Álvaro López Medrano discovered that the new logic used in iPhones to optimize energy management during wireless connectivity processes matches the principles of his registered invention, protected by patent US 7,532,865. This patent was granted by the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office) on May 12, 2009.

Following this discovery by the talented Spanish engineer, a patent infringement lawsuit was filed in 2021 against the telecommunications giant, Apple. Recently, it was announced that the Delaware court has ruled in favor of the Spanish inventor, ordering Apple to pay $110.7 million in damages.

American patents by Spanish inventors who have successfully defended their rights.

This is not the first time a Spanish inventor has successfully defended their rights against major tech giants in the United States. For example, the Catalan inventors behind Fractus, creators of miniaturized fractal antenna technology, reached a settlement that is estimated to have brought them over $100 million, following intense patent enforcement proceedings in Texas, United States.

Why have these Spanish inventors protected their inventions with American patents?

At Let’s Prototype, we have seen firsthand how most Spanish inventors for whom we develop inventions and manufacture prototypes choose to patent their inventions in the United States.

Clear success stories like those achieved by the company Fractus or the recent victory of Spanish inventor Álvaro López-Medrano demonstrate:

Legal certainty: The cases of Fractus and Álvaro demonstrate that patent enforcement in the United States works, regardless of the size or power of the opposing companies.

Access to funding: We often emphasize that obtaining a patent is not as complex as defending it. A patent dispute in the United States is extremely expensive. This is one of the main barriers preventing inventors from successfully defending their patents. For this reason, within the inventor ecosystem in the United States, there is a growing presence of investment funds specialized in supporting companies that are about to launch patent enforcement proceedings. In Europe, by contrast, such investment funds are almost nonexistent.

Patent timelines: The response speed of the United States Patent and Trademark Office is very efficient. In just 3 months, inventors can have clarity regarding the outcome of the examination of their patents, and within 6 months, they could potentially obtain a granted invention patent with 20 years of exclusive protection.

Patent costs: The patent process in the United States is often seen by many Spanish inventors as something out of reach. However, any Spanish inventor who believes their invention is truly competitive and useful can apply for a patent in the U.S. Contrary to what many Spanish inventors think, the cost of a U.S. patent is very similar to the fees for patents in Europe.

Patent profitability: The goal of inventors who protect their inventions is, without a doubt, to profit from their patents—a completely legitimate and obvious aim. In the U.S., for fees similar to the cost of patents in Europe, inventors gain access to a much larger, more consumption-driven population and a technological business ecosystem that far exceeds the European corporate landscape. Therefore, it is a far more favorable environment for: selling a patent, licensing a patent, or defending an infringed patent, as demonstrated by these examples of American patents held by Spanish inventors.

As you know, Let’s Prototype is not a U.S. patent law firm. We are a product development lab based in the United States and Spain. However, we work daily with U.S. patent firms that provide services to our clients—most of whom are Spanish inventors seeking to protect their inventions in the U.S.

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