Apple faces accusation for illegally using an intellectual property of University of Wisconsin. This property is the university's technology in processors that have been used to power some iPhones and iPads. As a result, U.S. Court of Appeals for Federal Circuit ordered Apple to pay a penalty of $862 million.
The Wall Street Journal noted that the jury in U.S District Court in Madison, Wisconsin found out the university's 1998 patent was incorporated in the improvement of Apple's processor. A lawyer said in the report that Apple's appeal of the case may take up to 18 months or more. More so, the university commented regarding the issue and said, "It is a serious matter for us to undertake litigation to protect the UW's patented inventions." In addition, an attorney in the case suggested that Apple should be obliged to pay the university of at least 7 cents per device that used the technology which is roughly $10 million. Though, the university argued $2.74 per device which is at least $400 million.
Related report also said that this is not the first time that the University of Wisconsin filed a case against Apple as it claimed that the company infringed the same patent in iPhone 6S and 6S Plus in September. In the history, the university also sued Intel Corp. in 2008 for invading its own technology, but was then settled in 2009.
On the other hand, U.S. Patent No. 5,781,752 states that A7, A8 and A8X system-on-a-chip processing units were used in iPhone 5s, 6 and 6 Plus, iPad Air and Air 2, iPad mini 2, 3 and 4, sixth-generation iPod Touch, and the fourth-generation Apple TV, News Factor noted. Such patent was developed by University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers Andreas Moshovos, Scott Breach, Terani Vijaykumar and Girundar Sohi.
Apple has no official statement yet regarding the verdict of the federal jury. As of the moment, Apple products which embedded the University of Wisconsin's technology will continue to work.
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