BASF trinamiX Face ID patent suit
trinamiX, a BASF spin-out, filed a W.D. Texas complaint alleging Apple Face ID uses technology covered by seven patents on optical skin detection and material identification.
BASF spin-out trinamiX filed a Face ID patent complaint against Apple in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas on September 3, 2026 (case 7:26-cv-00348). The filing was first widely covered by Reuters and summarized by 9to5Mac. Plaintiffs are trinamiX Sensing LLC and trinamiX GmbH, units tied to BASF that commercialize biometric imaging, 3D vision, and near-infrared sensing. They allege newer Face ID systems on iPhone and iPad Pro models use technology covered by seven of their patents.
What the patents claim
Reporting on the complaint groups the asserted patents into two families: optical skin detection for face unlock, and detectors for identifying material properties. Named patents in the first family include 12,530,925, 12,288,421, 12,456,334, and 12,361,760. The second family includes 12,298,394, 12,332,352, and 12,461,238.
trinamiX says its approach projects a light pattern onto a face and analyzes the return to distinguish living skin from photos, masks, and other spoof materials, combining that with 3D depth information. The company frames the technology as addressing early Face ID spoofing research that used specially constructed 3D masks.
These are plaintiff allegations in an early-stage filing. Apple has not yet answered in court.
Accused products
The complaint lists current and recent Face ID devices among the Accused Products, including iPhone 15 through iPhone 17 families, iPhone Air, and recent iPad Pro models.
Relief sought includes damages and an injunction, with a jury demand in W.D. Texas.
Why it matters
Face ID remains Apple's default biometric on slab iPhones and iPad Pros. Separately, code and reporting still point to Touch ID on the rumored foldable iPhone Ultra for form-factor reasons - a different thread from this patent fight. See also our related coverage: https://9co.dllm.app/apple-rumors/en/news/ios-27-code-suggests-iphone-ultra-touch-id
Apple's September 9 event is unlikely to address the suit; treat this as a legal and IP story, not a product-roadmap signal.
Source: https://9to5mac.com/2026/09/07/basf-subsidiary-sues-apple-over-alleged-face-id-patent-infringement/