A jury today in Madison, Wisconsin has found Apple guilty of using technology owned by the University of Wisconsin without permission. According to a report from Reuters, Apple used chip technology owned by the university in its A7, A8, and A8X processors, which are found in the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and several iPad variants.
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation originally sued Apple over the issue in January of 2014, saying that Apple infringed on its 1998 patent that handed improving chip efficiency. Apple has argued that it did not infringe on the patent and also that the patent is invalid to begin with. It asked the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to review the validity of the patent, but its request was denied.
Now, Apple could be liable for up to $862.4 million in damages thanks to the jury’s ruling. U.S. District Judge William Conley, who is presiding over the case, has scheduled the trial to proceed in three phases: liability, damages, and whether Apple willfully infringed on the patent. Should Apple be found to have willfully infringed, the damages it owes could increase.
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation isn’t stopping there, however. The foundation last month launched a second lawsuit against Apple arguing that the A9 and A9X chips found in the iPhone 6s, 6s Plus, and iPad Pro infringe upon the same patent.
WARF sued Intel in 2008 on similar grounds, although the case was settled out of court the day before the trial.
