Apple Inc. Found Guilty in Infringing Processor Patent
It's a patent that Intel has already run afoul of, and this week, Apple got dinged as well for its use in the A7, A8, and A8X processors used in recent iPhones and iPads.However, a report in the Times of India states that two Indian researchers Gurindar Sohi and T N Vijaykumar are entral to the patent lawsuit that may bring hefty damages to the California-based Apple.A federal court jury in Madison on Tuesday supported a criminal complaint initially filed in 2014 by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, finding Apple Inc guilty of infringing on the foundation's patent rights for a specialised microprocessor.
Apple may face up to $862 million in damages. In the latest of many patent disputes for Apple, a jury agreed that the company infringed a 1998 patent held by the University of Wisconsin. Apple has steadfastly denied throughout the trail it infringed on UW-Madison's patent and argued the patent is invalid. The twists and turns of the worldwide legal battle include a ruling in the United Kingdom that Apple must post a public apology to Samsung for its claims.
Sources, however, said that heading into the damages phase of the case this Wednesday, WARF's claim could be reduced to just $400 million, according to Reuters.
The trial began last week with William Conley, US District Judge, to be proceeded in three stages; to prove liability, filling damages and finally if the infringement was done willfully, it would lead to further penalties. WARF says that Apple ignored offers to license the patent, which would have meant paying a fee to the university. If you're an Apple user, however, there's a pretty good chance that you've been using relying on a piece of WARF technology for a while now. "In any case, any fine for Apple relating to this case would not have a substantial or lasting impact on its earnings".
Since Apple reported revenues of $49.6 billion for its fiscal 2015 third quarter ended June 27, losing $400 million isn't the end of the world.
