The company filed the patent in 2007 and contacted Apple during the mid part of that year. Over the next three years, Apple and Noise Free Wireless held several meetings at Apple's headquarters regarding the technology.
But in 2010, Apple decided to use technology from a competitor to Noise Free, Audience. That technology appeared in the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Apple also filed a United States patent application in 2010 covering "noise suppression for voice quality improvements." Along with patent infringement, Noise Free is claiming that Apple extracted its noise reduction software code and supplied the information to Audience.
Apple's lawyers are earning their pay as this is just one of several legal battles the company is fighting. After recently settling a frivolous trademark battle regarding the iPad name with Proview in China, another company in the country is taking Apple to court over supposed Siri patent infringement.