German chemical company BASF's subsidiary trinamiX has filed a lawsuit in the United States, alleging Apple's facial recognition system Face ID infringes its patents.

On Sept. 4 (local time), Japanese media outlet Gigazine reported that trinamiX filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Apple on Sept. 3 in the Midland Division of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas. The suit covers seven U.S. patents related to technology that determines skin and material characteristics during the facial authentication process.

trinamiX claimed that Face ID, first introduced with the iPhone X in 2017, did not use its patented technology. It said the iPhone 15, 16 and 17 series and the iPad Pro later applied skin and material sensing technology, infringing its patents. The complaint also said Apple knew or should have known about the possibility of infringement during related updates.

trinamiX said it has developed technology for about 10 years to block spoofing attacks that trick facial recognition systems using photos, 3D-printed masks or silicone models. The patents included in the lawsuit relate to technology that uses infrared patterns to determine whether something is real skin and to distinguish material characteristics.

trinamiX is a 3D and material sensing specialist that BASF established as a separate entity in 2014. The company said it has more than 800 patents registered or under application worldwide. trinamiX said it suffered substantial losses and irreparable harm from the alleged infringement, and asked the court for damages and an order to bar further infringement. It did not disclose a specific amount. Apple did not issue a separate official position immediately after the lawsuit was filed.

Whether there was actual patent infringement is expected to be determined through a future court ruling. Face ID was first applied to the iPhone X released in 2017 and has since become a core biometric authentication technology for the iPhone and iPad Pro.