Patrick Racz, founder, and Inventor of Smartflash, has announced the launch of a Civil Rico investigation into Apple, Inc.
The investigation will focus on allegations of theft of Smartflash’s intellectual property and circumstances relating to the unlawful invalidation of patents.
In 2015, Racz won a resounding victory against Apple in court, with an initial jury award of $533 million for wilful infringement. The key merits and findings of the case, namely that Apple infringed on the technology and induced others to infringe, remain undisturbed today.
From 2015 to 2018, Racz was then forced to defend a series of costly appeals in separate forums, including 48 individual cases at the Patent Trial Appeal Board (PTAB), where the panel of judges included ex lawyers for the defendants. Now, Racz and Smartflash are taking things a step further by launching a Civil Rico investigation. The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) is a federal law that allows for the prosecution of individuals or organizations engaged in illegal activities as part of a larger criminal enterprise.
“We believe that Apple’s actions are not solely restricted to wilful patent infringement, but also form part of a more significant pattern of wrongful activity,” said Racz. “We are committed to protecting our intellectual property and to holding Apple accountable for their actions.”
The Civil Rico investigation is being led by a team of legal experts and will focus on gathering evidence to support Smartflash’s claims.
For more information about the campaign, visit www.patrickracz.com