B
Brad Ward
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Apple earlier was facing almost a billion dollars in fines for infringing on a University of Wisconsin-Madison patent that improved processor efficiency. Now, Apple has only been ordered to pay $234 million in damages, as a US jury has come to the conclusion that Apple did not infringe on the patent willfully.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison holds a patent that aims to improve processor speed and efficiency, but upon an investigation, Apple was found to be using the technology in its A7, A8, A8X processors, which are found in the iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus, respectively. There is an ongoing separate lawsuit for violating the patent with its A9 and A9X chipsets, which are found in its new iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus devices.
As far as the fine goes, whether it be almost a billion dollars or as low as $234 million, it’s nothing more than a slap on the hand for Apple. After all, the Cupertino-based company netted $184 billion in revenue during 2014. It goes without saying, the company is sitting on quite a hefty amount of cash.
Apple has been subject to many of these types of lawsuits over the years, with some high profile cases against Samsung. At some point, these lawsuits just get ridiculous, as many of these patent infringements in question should be labeled as fair use. After all, there’s not many ways that you can make slide-to-unlock functionality and autocorrect unique to your company.
Apple wasn’t able to be reached for comment, but is expected to appeal the court’s decision in the University of Wisconsin-Madison case. In other words, it could be years before we see a final, set-in-stone decision.
source: BBC
Come comment on this article: US Jury fines Apple $234 million in damages for infringing on a CPU patent owned by the University of Wisconsin
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