Jury Orders Apple to Pay $234 Million for Infringing University of Wisconsin-Madison Patent

A U.S. jury has ordered Apple to pay $234 million for infringing on a patent held by the University of Wisconsin-Madison for improving processor performance, reports Reuters.

The amount was less than the $400 million the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) was claiming in damages after the jury on Tuesday said Apple (AAPL.O) infringed its patent for improving the performance of computer processors.

The jurors deliberated for 3.5 hours before returning the verdict. They were asked to decide if the A7, A8 and A8X processors found in the iPhone 5s, 6 and 6 Plus, and some iPads, violated the patents.


WARF first sued Apple in January 2014 alleging that the company infringed on a 1998 patent for a "predictor circuit", developed by professor Gurindar Sohi and three students.

Apple argued that the patent entitled WARF to as little as 7 cents per device, much less than the $2.74 that WARF was asking for. Fortunately for Apple, U.S. District Judge William Conley ruled that Apple hadn't willfully infringed on the patent which could have tripled the damages.

WARF has also launched a second lawsuit against Apple over the company's latest chips found in the iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, and iPad Pro.

Apple says it will appeal the decision.


Read More