A federal court jury in Madison supported a criminal complaint initially filed in 2014 by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation Tuesday, finding Apple Inc. guilty of infringing on the foundation’s patent rights for a specialized microprocessor.
The technology, developed by UW-Madison microprocessor architecture researchers Andreas Moshovos, Scott Breach, Terani Vijaykumar and Gurindar Sohi, known as “Table Based Data Speculation Circuit for Parallel Processing Computer,” was patented in 1998, according to the 2014 complaint.
WARF said in the complaint it believes Apple incorporated the technology from the patent into their latest products, including the iPhone 5S, the iPad Air and the iPad mini with Retina display.
The researchers’ patent “significantly improved the efficiency and performance of contemporary computer processors,” and is noted as a major milestone in the industry, according to the 2014 complaint.
Apple originally argued the patent was invalid, and previously appealed to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to review the patent's validity. The agency rejected the appeal in April 2015, according to the news service Reuters.
The next step of the lawsuit will focus on the monetary damages the WARF could receive from Apple. U.S. District Judge William Conley said Apple could face up to $862 million in damages for using the technology developed by WARF, according to a Tuesday article by Reuters.
WARF Director of Strategic Communications Jeanan Yasiri Moe said the foundation is unable to comment on ongoing litigations.
