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| (Source: Apple) |
Apple Korea has effectively defeated a patent infringement challenge brought by South Korea–based MILA Co., Ltd. over the depth-of-field (DOF) feature in the iPhone 12 Pro, after the patent's key claims were invalidated and confirmed by South Korea's highest court.
The dispute centered on Korean Patent No. 0822832, titled "Apparatus and Method for Adjusting DOF of Object." MILA alleged that Apple's portrait mode functionality in the iPhone 12 Pro fell within the scope of this patent and initiated a scope confirmation trial before the Korean Intellectual Property Trial and Appeal Board (KIPTAB) in 2021. The petition was dismissed by KIPTAB in February 2022, prompting MILA to challenge the ruling in court.
In parallel, Apple Korea filed an invalidation trial, targeting claims 1, 3, 6, and 7 of the same patent. KIPTAB ruled in Apple's favor in February 2022, and MILA's appeal was rejected by the Patent Court. In May 2025, the Korean Supreme Court dismissed MILA's final appeal without hearing, finalizing the invalidation of the four claims.
This final ruling had direct implications for the remanded scope confirmation case. Although MILA had briefly succeeded in overturning KIPTAB's initial dismissal via a cancellation suit, the invalidation of the key claims left no remaining basis for MILA to assert infringement. In July 2025, KIPTAB dismissed the remanded petition on procedural grounds, citing the loss of legal interest following the claim invalidations.
With the asserted claims fully invalidated and no confirmed infringement finding, the case concludes with Apple Korea prevailing in its defense.
By PatenTrip
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