The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation filed a lawsuit against Apple, Inc., Friday for alleged infringement of a U.S. patent on computer technology developed in a University of Wisconsin-Madison research lab, according to a WARF press release.
According to WARF General Counsel Michael Falk, U.S. Patent No. 5, 781,752 (“752 patent”) covers microprocessor advancements invented in the research laboratory of professor Guri Sohi of UW-Madison’s computer sciences department. These advancements reduce energy consumption and improve computer chip processing speeds, according to the release.
The complaint filed by WARF sues Apple for willful infringement, meaning the company was aware it unlawfully reproduced technology that belonged to UW-Madison. WARF claims Apple incorporated this technology into its new A7 processor, which is used in the iPhone 5S, iPad Air and iPad Mini with retina display.
If WARF wins the lawsuit, the judgment would prevent Apple from future infringements. WARF also asks for payment of monetary damages and court fees plus interest.
WARF, the primary management organization of patents at UW-Madison, defines its mission as one of aiding scientific investigation and research at the university, according to its official website.
Since its founding in 1925, the private, non-profit foundation has obtained over 1,900 U.S. patents on UW-Madison inventions. These government licenses give their holders the exclusive right to make, use or sell an invention, with the revenue gained from patents used to fund ongoing research and educational programs, according to the website.
To date, WARF has amassed over $800 million in patent revenues and has returned more than $1.25 billion to the university.
Andreas Moshovos, Scott Breach and Terani Vijaykumar, who are microprocessor researchers in Sohi’s lab, obtained the patent titled “Table Based Data Speculation Circuit for Parallel Processing Computer” in 1998. Since then, the invention has been seen as a significant milestone in computer sciences research, the release stated.
Sohi is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and received the prestigious Eckert-Mauchly Award in 2011 based on his work, according to the complaint.
In 2008, WARF sued Intel Corp. for a similar infringement and won. The details of the resulting settlement in 2009 remain confidential.
