Texas-based tech company, Fintiv, has filed a lawsuit accusing the iPhone maker Apple of stealing proprietary mobile wallet technology and using it to build Apple Pay, a platform now embedded in millions of Apple devices worldwide.
Filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, the complaint goes beyond intellectual property theft as Fintiv claims that Apple engaged in corporate racketeering, deliberately lifting confidential innovations from CorFire, a mobile wallet solutions provider Fintiv acquired in 2014.
According to the lawsuit, Apple breached nondisclosure agreements and also recruited CorFire staff to facilitate the development of Apple Pay, which was launched globally in 2014.
The issue dates back to 2011 and 2012, when Apple allegedly held a series of meetings with CorFire and entered into non-disclosure agreements to explore licensing discussions.
Rather than formalise a deal, Apple is accused of using those sessions to extract technical knowledge and later build its own product without compensation or credit.
“This is a case of corporate theft and racketeering of monumental proportions,” the suit reads. “Apple has generated billions of dollars in revenue without paying Fintiv a single penny.”
Fintiv’s legal team, led by veteran lawyer Marc Kasowitz, isn’t pulling any punches. In a statement accompanying the filing, Kasowitz declared: “This is one of the most egregious examples of corporate malfeasance I’ve seen in 45 years of legal practice.”
The lawsuit alleges violations of both federal and state-level statutes, including the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, Georgia’s state equivalent of the RICO statute, the Defend Trade Secrets Act, and Georgia’s Trade Secret Act. Apple stands as the sole defendant in the case.
A key element of Fintiv’s argument is that Apple formed what it calls an “association-in-fact enterprise” with top-tier banks and credit card companies, including JPMorgan Chase, Citibank, Bank of America, Visa, Mastercard, and American Express, to profit off the stolen technology.
Fintiv insists these institutions have benefitted from Apple Pay transaction fees while being part of an informal commercial ecosystem rooted in misappropriated technology.
CorFire, originally based in Alpharetta, Georgia, developed mobile wallet infrastructure long before Apple’s first foray into the space. The lawsuit asserts that the similarities between CorFire’s proprietary solutions and the structure of Apple Pay are not coincidental, but the result of intentional reverse engineering of CorFire’s work.
Again, this new filing follows a separate legal setback for Fintiv. On August 4, a federal judge in Austin, Texas, dismissed a related patent infringement case Fintiv had filed against Apple. Fintiv has indicated plans to appeal that decision but appears to be moving its focus to the Georgia court, where CorFire’s legacy and intellectual property were originally based.
While Apple has yet to issue a public response, the case is already drawing attention due to its potential financial and reputational implications. Apple Pay remains a central component of the company’s services division, which has become a major revenue stream.
The lawsuit is registered as Fintiv Inc v Apple Inc, U.S. District Court, Northern District of Georgia, No. 25-04413.
This case points to a more serious legal confrontation over how tech giants interact with smaller firms, especially in early-stage collaborations that never formalise into partnerships.
Fintiv says Apple has followed this same pattern in other disputes, pointing to ongoing claims involving Masimo and Valencell, whose health-tracking technologies allegedly influenced the development of the Apple Watch.
