Apple could face $862 million in damages in University of Wisconsin patent lawsuit

Well folks, it looks like Apple is losing another patent lawsuit to the tune of $862 million in damages. A U.S. jury yesterday found that Apple used technology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison without permission.

This particular patent aims to improve processor efficiency.

The Madison, Wisconsin jury found that the patent is valid, and as a result, they’re working on finding out how much Apple exactly owes in damages, which is a long and tedious process. The jury will have to decide what processors violate the patent. Apple’s A7, A8, A8X, A9, and A9X are all under consideration.

U.S. District Judge William Conley says that Apple could be liable of up to $862.4 million in damages. Judge Conley set the trial to happen in three stages–liability, damages, and a look into whether Apple violated this patent willfully, and if so, more penalties could be on the table.

Apple recently won a rather larger patent lawsuit against Samsung infringing on slide-to-unlock functionality, autocorrect, and much more.

The trial will obviously take some time to come to a conclusion, but the question is, will it help any? $862 million is a drop in the bucket for Apple, and there’s no telling if this lawsuit will actually bring any change to Apple’s processors.

source: Reuters

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