Fintiv has launched a fresh legal battle against Apple, accusing the company of stealing technology to build Apple Pay and engaging in racketeering. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Georgia, marks the first time in more than seven years of litigation that Fintiv has alleged trade secret theft. The Texas-based firm claims Apple used proprietary technology developed by CorFire, a mobile payments company Fintiv acquired in 2014, to create its secure payment platform.
The new case comes less than a week after Fintiv abandoned its long-running patent infringement trial against Apple in Texas. That case, filed in 2018, ended after repeated rulings in Apple’s favor. U.S. District Judge Alan Albright twice found Apple did not infringe Fintiv’s patent, which required storing account-specific information directly on devices. Apple Pay uses a different method that avoids local storage of such data.
Fintiv’s Expanded Allegations
According to Fintiv’s complaint, Apple held meetings with CorFire in 2011 and 2012 under nondisclosure agreements, with the stated purpose of licensing CorFire’s mobile wallet technology. Instead, Fintiv alleges Apple hired key CorFire employees and incorporated the technology into Apple Pay, which launched in 2014 and now operates globally across iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and MacBooks.
Fintiv also accuses Apple of leading what it calls an “informal racketeering enterprise,” generating billions in revenue by processing payments through credit card issuers including Bank of America, Citigroup, and JPMorgan Chase, along with payment networks such as Visa and Mastercard. The complaint seeks compensatory and punitive damages under federal and Georgia trade secrets and anti-racketeering laws.
Apple’s Response and Legal History
In a statement shared with 9to5Mac, Apple dismissed the new claims as an attempt to “distract from their failed patent case.” The company emphasized that Apple Pay was developed from the ground up and uses a privacy-focused design that avoids storing account-specific data on devices. Apple added that it will continue to defend against what it calls “false claims.”
Court records show Fintiv’s earlier patent case collapsed after a series of defeats. Judge Albright’s rulings in 2023 and July 2025 found no infringement, even after the Federal Circuit sent part of the case back for review. Fintiv then voluntarily dismissed its remaining claims with prejudice after jury selection began.
Apple disputes Fintiv’s hiring allegations. The company says one named individual never worked at Apple. It says another worked in retail rather than payments. It says the third joined after Apple Pay had already been developed. Apple maintains that its secure architecture and payment processing approach differ from Fintiv’s patented method and rely on its own intellectual property.
Fintiv’s legal challenges extend beyond Apple. In 2022, the company sued PayPal over five patents. Four were invalidated in court, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office later invalidated the fifth. Last month, investment firm Oxford Gray sued Fintiv for breach of contract, alleging it defaulted on more than $9 million in loans.
