Apple guilty of patent infringement, could face $862 million in damages

Posted on Thursday, October 15 2015 @ 12:01 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
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Apple could be on the hook for paying up to $862 million in damages as U.S. District Judge William Conley ruled that the maker of high-end gadgets infringed upon a patent owned by University of Wisconsin-Madison’s licensing branch. TechCrunch writes Apple's A7, A8 and A8X SoCs contain technology covered by a 1998 patent filed by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (aka WARF).
Reuters reports that the case was split into three sections (liability, damages, and willful infringement), with the latter being determined at a later date and potentially upping the cost of the loss for Apple.

The patent in question, U.S. Patent No. 5,781,752 for a “Table based data speculation circuit for parallel processing computer” is meant to make computer chips more power-efficient by using a branch predictor.
Furthermore, WARF filed another suit in September claiming Apple's A9 and A9X chips also vaiolate the patent. In 2009, WARF hit Intel with a lawsuit for violation of the same patent, but that matter was settled out of court.


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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