The federal Patent Disputes Chamber of the Intellectual Property Service, known as Rospatent, considered a request from Apple Rus to cancel a patent held by businessman Artashes Ikonomov. The patent covered a utility model described as a mobile phone with emergency communications. Reportage from RBC, citing court materials, confirms this development.
In the chamber’s decision, it was noted that the patent had reached its expiration, which influenced the outcome. The patent had been active from 2013 through the end of 2023, and the ruling reflected the arguments presented by both sides during the hearing. This context helps explain why the request to invalidate the patent was granted in this instance.
Public patent records, as seen in Yandex’s patent search service, indicate that Ikonomov holds around 35 registered inventions. The portfolio includes a range of concepts such as devices for personal identification, information retrieval, content viewing with commentary, and systems for driver switching and taxi dispatch, among others. These entries illustrate a diverse approach to technological solutions and show Ikonomov’s broad activity across several domains.
Meanwhile, a separate legal matter in London involved a November ruling on a suit against Apple. The plaintiffs alleged that iPhone batteries exhibited defects and that Apple knowingly concealed these issues from consumers, in addition to releasing software updates that slowed certain devices. The claim targeted consumer harm and sought relief related to damages and accountability.
Prior to this decision, a large-scale case against Apple in the same thread of litigation had involved a claim valued at roughly one trillion rubles. The plaintiffs sought assessment of this amount within the United Kingdom, raising questions about the interplay between consumer protection laws, regulatory standards, and corporate transparency across borders.