A semiconductor firm has filed patent lawsuits against Starbucks over its popular mobile payments application. According to paidcontent.org, the patents are owned by the chipset firm Maxim Integrated and “describe mobile payment actions”. One patent issued in 1997 describes a means “for enabling a user to fill a portable module with a cash equivalent and to spend the cash equivalent at a variety of locations”. There are also three other patents which Maxim claim have been infringed. In addition to Starbucks it is pursuing its claim against Expedia, the travel website, and Capital One, the financial institution. The coffee chain’s app has proved popular in the US where it processed 26 million transactions in its first year. The app enables users to pay for their coffee and collect reward points.