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Forbes

Apple Faces Massive Fine After Losing Patent Fight

Oct 14, 2015  •  Post A Comment

In a setback for Apple that could result in a huge fine, a federal jury ruled against the tech giant in its patent dispute with the University of Wisconsin. Forbes reports that the university has been pushing for a payout as high as $862 million for patent infringement.

The case involves technology owned by the university’s licensing arm, which was used on chips in recent iPads and iPhones. The jury has yet to decide on damages.

“The University filed the patent in 1998, for technology that could enhance the efficiency of computer processors,” Forbes reports. “It sued Intel for infringing on the same patent in 2008, and settled out of court with the company before it could go trial. Intel ended up paying the University a $110 million lump sum to license the patent, court documents show.”

Court documents in the latest case show that Apple was forbidden from referring to the university as a “patent troll,” the report notes, with the court determining that the term could be prejudicial.

“Apple had argued that the patent was invalid and thus couldn’t have been infringed, but the jury deemed Apple wrong on that count,” Forbes reports. “They agreed with the plaintiffs that Apple’s A7, A8 and A8X processors, which are found in its latest iPhones and iPads, had violated the patent.”

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