Apple Could Pay Up to $862 Million In Damages After Losing Patent Case

Apple could be paying up to $862 million in damages after a U.S. jury came to the conclusion that the company had been using technology owned by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s licensing arm without permission.

The infringing technology was employed in the A9 and A9X processors which are present in multiple devices including the iPad Pro and both iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. These chips provide a significant performance upgrade and increased efficiency compared to previous generations. 

Now that the jury has ruled the patent case valid, the trial will proceed in order to see how exactly much Apple will have to pay in damages.

Individuals hailing from Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) and Apple have not commented about the impending decision of the trial, but this is not the first time that the tech giant was found guilty of copyright infringement. In 2014, WARF had took Apple to court for infringing upon a 1998 patent for improving chip efficiency.

The California-based company had immediately denied any infringement and according to the details present on court papers, stated that the patent was invalid. Apple has repeatedly tried to convince the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to review the patent’s validity, but requests have been rejected.

This is not the first time that WARF has used its patent to seek justice against tech companies, with the previous one being Apple. Legal proceedings against largest desktop and laptop processor manufacturer Intel took place back in 2008, but the case was settled the following year.

We will keep you updated on the verdict of the trial, but at this current point, it looks like Apple might end up paying after all.