Apple, Visa face patent infringement lawsuit over Apple Pay

Apple and Visa shunned USR's offers in favor of a partnership with each other

Apple and Visa are facing claims by Universal Secure Registry, a small Boston-area company, that their mobile-payment partnership infringes four of its patents.

In a federal lawsuit filed in Wilmington, Delaware, USR said it sent Apple a series of letters in 2010 describing its patented technology and seeking a partnership long before Apple Pay’s debut.

One letter detailed USR’s patent for using biometrics to authenticate identity on a smartphone, according to the complaint filed May 21.

Kenneth P Weiss, chief executive of USR, also pursued a partnership with Visa around the same time, engaging “in a series of confidential discussions with senior representatives,”