Context: trinamiX is a Germany-based developer of advanced sensing technologies, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of chemicals giant BASF.
What’s new and direct impact:
- trinamiX has filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, alleging that Apple products featuring Face ID facial recognition technology infringe several patents describing optical detection of specific materials, including human skin.
- The case has been assigned to District Judge David Counts, who was the second-busiest patent judge in the U.S. last year in terms of cases handled (September 1, 2026 ip fray article).
- A quick search of U.S. district court and Unified Patent Court records suggests that trinamiX has not previously been involved in patent litigation in either jurisdiction.
Wider ramifications: Apple first released Face ID, a biometric authentication tool which allows users to unlock their device by facial recognition, in November 2017 with the iPhone X. Notably, in its complaint, trinamiX states that “[o]n information and belief, the original release of Face ID did not incorporate trinamiX’s patented technology, and lacked material and skin detection capabilities”. The complaint references third-party attempts to “trick” earlier versions of Face ID using face-like silicone masks and photos (November 13, 2017 Mashable article); implying that Apple later added some form of skin-recognition technology which overcame this purported weakness. The accused products in trinamiX’s complaint include the iPhone 15 series, which released from September 2023 onwards, and subsequent generations of iPhones and iPads featuring Face ID. Prior to this latest case, Apple had faced numerous infringement complaints over Face ID and related functionalities, including from CPC Patent Technologies (December 12, 2023 The Australian article) and Carbyne Biometrics (February 2, 2024 Bloomberg article).
According to the latest complaint, trinamiX’s technology was first developed “in or around 2010” when BASF researchers working with organic solar cells “identified an unexpected material effect with applications far beyond that original context” including in 3D measurement and advanced sensing.
The company itself was established by BASF in 2014 to commercialize this “unexpected discovery”. Today, trinamiX technology is used in fields such as biometric imaging, material analysis, and spectroscopy for consumer, industrial, and agricultural settings. The company claims to hold more than 800 granted or pending patents globally.
On its website, trinamiX describes itself as 100% owned by BASF but “[o]perationally independent, while benefiting from the expertise and experience of the group”.
Accused products
Apple products featuring Face ID including:
- iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max;
- iPhone 16, iPhone 16e, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 16 Plus;
- iPhone 17, iPhone 17e, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, iPhone Air;
- iPad Pro 11-inch (4th Generation), iPad Pro 12.9-inch (6th Generation), iPad Pro 11-inch (M4 and M5), and iPad Pro 13-inch (M4 and M5).
Patents-in-suit
- U.S. Patent No. 12,530,925 (“Optical skin detection for face unlock”)
- U.S. Patent No. 12,288,421 (“Optical skin detection for face unlock”)
- U.S. Patent No. 12,456,334 (“Optical skin detection for face unlock”)
- U.S. Patent No. 12,361,760 (“Optical skin detection for face unlock”)
- U.S. Patent No. 12,298,394 (“Detector for identifying at least one material property”)
- U.S. Patent No. 12,332,352 (“Detector for identifying at least one material property”)
- U.S. Patent No. 12,461,238 (“Detector for identifying at least one material property”)
Complaint
Counsel
trinamiX is represented by Quinn Emanuel’s Kevin P.B. Johnson, Todd M. Briggs, Nathan Sun, and Nima Hefazi.