latest legal battle has a big opponent on the other side: Apple. A medical device company Khosla backed, AliveCor, is battling the tech giant over patents, and could win.If you ask Khosla, the outcome could have a broad impact on technology inventions, and whether startups and VCs even bother with them going forward.
The body issued an import ban on the smartwatches — though it's currently suspended while the case plays out before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.The big picture: Each year, companies across a number of sectors, including health care, biotech, hardware and even software, file patents and other intellectual property protections.
In its filing to the ITC in October, Apple also argues that it independently developed its EKG sensor tech years before AliveCor released the KardiaBand.Negotiating a royalty deal between the two companies would be the ideal outcome, according to Khosla. He adds that the startup tried to approach Apple on this front prior to the lawsuit, but was rebuffed.