Apple’s smartwatch offers a unique feature associated with the Apple ecosystem called Auto Unlock. Using this feature, Apple users can easily unlock their MacBook and iPhone without having to enter a password or ID. This feature was first announced by the company in June 2016.

Now, according to a report by Apple Patently, SmartWatch MobileConcepts LLC is suing the Cupertino giant for patent infringement for automatic unlocking. The patent cited by SmartWatch MobileConcepts LLC is Patent 10,362,480 entitled “Systems, Methods, and Devices for Providing User Access to Secure Electronic Systems.” The patent was purchased by the firm from members of the Ortiz family.

According to the report, it looks like patent trolling to force the Cupertino giant to make money through a settlement or lawsuit. For those who don’t know, patent troll is a pejorative term used to describe a business that uses patents and the court system to make money.

However, things may not go as planned for SmartWatch MobileConcepts LLC, as the aforementioned patent was filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on August 11, 2016, and Apple announced the feature during WWDC 2016, which takes place from June. 13 to 17, almost two months before the patent application. It is not yet known how the court will resolve this issue, so stay tuned. Source