The company that makes your fertilizer and car paint just sued Apple over Face ID.
BASF filed the patent infringement suit on Thursday in federal court in the Western District of Texas. The complaint alleges that dozens of iPhone and iPad models use face authentication technology that infringes patents BASF owns. BASF is best known as the world's largest chemical company, making everything from plastics to agricultural chemicals, not exactly a name associated with iPhone camera systems. The case marks an unusual crossover between industrial chemistry and consumer electronics patent law.
The Western District of Texas has become one of the most popular venues in the country for patent plaintiffs, thanks to fast dockets and juries seen as friendly to patent holders. Apple is no stranger to Texas patent courts, which is part of why plaintiffs increasingly file there. A win for BASF would barely dent Apple's bottom line, but the case is a reminder that any company sitting on a broad materials or electronics patent portfolio can turn Face ID's ubiquity into a legal target.
Whether BASF actually invented anything Face ID depends on, or just owns a patent broad enough to catch it, is the question a Texas jury will eventually have to answer.