Market Reality: AR Goes to Court as Meta Infringement Case Unfolds & Epic Games Takes on Nreal for Trademark

Reading the augmented reality news lately has felt a bit like reading a John Grisham novel, as the business side of things has dripped with legal drama.

This week alone, a patent infringement case involving Meta Company (or what's left of it) approached its climax. Meanwhile, Epic Games served papers to AR smartglasses maker Nreal, with the plaintiff claiming that the defendant is creating confusion with Unreal Engine.

Elsewhere, reports continue to leak about the future of augmented reality hardware from Apple, while Snap took a dose of its own medicine with an AR advertising campaign for one of it Snap Originals series.

Court Hands Down Judgment in Meta Company Infringement Case

The story of Meta and its Meta 2 augmented reality headset isn't over, there's a new development that could impact its ultimate fate.

During the waning days of January, the US District Court of Delaware finally weighed in with an update in the patent infringement case against Meta, or whatever remains of the company in the hands of its new, undisclosed owners

Continue reading to learn more about what's transpired in the case this week and what's next for the remains of Meta, as well as late-breaking updates on who has scooped up some of Meta's assets...

REALITY BITES: AR developers and startups with a healthcare focus will want to take a look at the Medical Capital Innovation Competition. Teams working on augmented reality and virtual reality medical apps will have the chance to pitch their ideas and compete for $100,000 in prizes. Beware the Ides of March, though, as applications are due March 15.

Epic Games Lawyers Up to Protect Unreal Engine from Confusion with Nreal

Augmented reality startup Nreal was a hit at this month's CES event, with some even calling the device a worthy challenger to the Magic Leap One.

However, the company's path to success in the US may not be as smooth as it first seemed, as gaming giant Epic Games has lodged a legal challenge that could ground the AR upstart before it even takes off.

For more of the juicy details of this tech legal drama, including a nasty, if not outlandish, clap back from Nreal, read further...

REALITY BITES: Jeff Crusey, CEO of AR/VR startup DeepSee, noticed that the smartglasses design from healthcare AR/VR Propriovision is basically a Photoshop of North's Focals, but merged with safety goggles. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, though, right?

Apple Gears Up to Add Depth Sensor to Upcoming iPhone Models

While the betting lines on iPhones with depth-sensing, rear-facing cameras in 2019 have already been established, a new report adds some certainty to the notion that the iPhone will get new AR superpowers later this year.

Citing anonymous sources familiar with the company's plans, Bloomberg reports that Apple is already testing its new triple-lens rear camera array, which is expected to make its way to 2019's iPhone models. Those sources also note that Apple's flavor of depth-scanning will use lasers instead of the current "dot-projection" method.

Read more about who would likely produce these depth sensors for Apple and how the AR evolution of the iPhone is another step toward Apple smartglasses...

REALITY BITES: AR influencer and investor Tom Emrich has discovered a new hobby. Recently, he has been discovering and curatingAR experiences created for Instagram with Spark AR, Facebook's AR camera platform. And his findings are awesome.

Snapchat Becomes Its Own Advertising Customer for Bhad Bhabie Series

I was today years old when I first heard of Bhad Bhabie, but I'm told she is apparently a rapper with a rags-to-riches story.

So, of course, she should get her own reality show. And Snap is pulling out the big guns to promote her Snap Original show, Bringing up Bhabie, with an AR-enabled billboard on the prominent Sunset Strip along with the debut of a Bhad Bhabie single via an AR Lens Challenge.

Keep reading to find out more about Snapchat's AR innovation on the standard billboard and what the AR Lens Challenge means for the demographic Snapchat is trying to appeal to...

Every Friday, Next Reality reviews the latest headlines from the financial side of augmented and mixed reality. This weekly Market Reality column covers funding announcements, mergers and acquisitions, market analysis, and the like. Check out previous editions of Market Reality for more news you may have missed.

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Cover image via Nreal