BASF Sues Apple Over Face ID Patent Infringement
One trinamiX patent cited in the suit matches the under-display Face ID rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro, which could complicate that release.
Reporting from 1 source: GIGAZINE.
BASF filed suit against Apple on September 3, 2026 in federal court in Midland, Texas, claiming Face ID on iPhone and iPad infringes facial recognition patents held by its subsidiary trinamiX. The complaint says Apple's material and skin detection updates to Face ID on the iPhone 15, 16, 17 and iPad Pro likely infringe seven patents. BASF seeks damages and an injunction against further infringement. No damages figure was given.
trinamiX, the BASF subsidiary that holds the patents, was founded in 2014 and builds biometric authentication around advanced 3D sensing. It argues that conventional facial recognition is vulnerable to spoofing with photos and 3D printed masks, the same attack that drew attention shortly after Face ID launched. BASF says its patents were not infringed when Apple announced Face ID in 2017, but that the material and skin detection updates in Face ID on the iPhone 15, 16, 17 and iPad Pro cross the line. One trinamiX patent covers display-under facial recognition for OLED, announced in 2022 and used in Android phones, and its description matches the under-display Face ID rumored for the iPhone 18 Pro. The suit asks for damages and an injunction, with no amount stated.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.