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A US jury has found Apple infringed on a patent held by the University of Wisconsin-Madison by using the technology protected by the patent in its A7, A8 and A8X processors.
Apple could be liable for up to US$862.4 million in damages.
In January 2014, the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF), which manages the patents for the Univeristy, sued Apple, alleging that the company had infringed its 1998 patent (US Patent 5,781,752). The patent, titled “Table Based Data Speculation Circuit for Parallel Processing Computer”, is attributed to inventors Andreas Moshovos, Scott Breach, Terani Vijaykumar and Gurindar Sohi.
According to the WARF, the inventors’ work significantly improved the efficiency and performance of contemporary computer processors, and has been recognised as a major milestone in the field of computer microprocessor architecture and design.
The jury was considering if Apple violated the patent in its A7, A8, and A8X processors, which are found in the iPhone 5s, 6 and 6 Plus, as well as various iPad versions.
Apple, on its part, denied any infringement, and asked the US Patent and Trademark Office to examine the validity of the patent. This bid failed in April 2015.
With the latest jury findings, the trial will now move on to determine the damages that Apple owes to the WARF.
According to the WARF, it is a non-profit organisation which patents and licenses the University’s inventions, and returning the proceeds of the licensing to fund additional research at the University.
Once the damages have been determined, the US court will then examine if Apple infringed the patent wilfully, which could lead to enhanced penalties.