ipad iphone ios 8U.S. District Judge William Conley today ordered Apple to pay $506 million to the University of Wisconsin's Alumni Research Foundation for infringing on a patent related to computer processing technology used in its A7, A8, and A8X chips, reports Reuters.

The $506 million total is more than double the $234 million in damages that a Jury ordered Apple to pay back in 2015, with Conley adding an extra $272 million. According to Conley, Apple owes additional damages along with interest because Apple continued to infringe on the patent until it expired at the end of 2016.

The lawsuit in question dates back to 2014, when the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation accused Apple of infringing on a patent titled "Table based data speculation circuit for parallel processing computer," that was originally granted in 1998 and covers a method for improving processor efficiency.

A jury ruled that Apple's A7, A8, and A8X processors infringe on the patent, and the university has also filed a second lawsuit covering Apple's A9 chips, which has not yet been ruled on.

Apple plans to appeal the judge's decision.

Top Rated Comments

farewelwilliams Avatar
103 months ago
Guess who went to University of Wisconsin? DING DING DING that's right, it's Judge William Conley.
Score: 51 Votes (Like | Disagree)
OldSchoolMacGuy Avatar
103 months ago
Guess who went to University of Wisconsin? DING DING DING that's right, it's Judge William Conley.
Wow, talk about a conflict of interests.
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
David G. Avatar
103 months ago
I don't care what school he attended. The willful arrogance of my former employer to continue abusing this deserves the extra fine. Sorry, but they willfully knew what they were doing and did it anyway. The stupidity behind this is Apple could have easily collaborated with the university [as it has in the past] and paid a royalty fee probably 1/20th or less for it.

Learn from it and change the policy is what the Judge is inferring.
Bachelor's degree from UWisc, check.
Juris Doctorate from UWisc, check.
Apparent conflict of interest, check.
Should the judge have recused himself, oh yeah.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JesperA Avatar
103 months ago
They what was needed.
They what what?
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pat500000 Avatar
103 months ago
Chump change for apple.

Meanwhile at apple hq:

Tim: "raise the prices on all apple products."
Phil: "yes sir."
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macfacts Avatar
103 months ago
Guess who went to University of Wisconsin? DING DING DING that's right, it's Judge William Conley.
If you read the summary, it says a jury found Apple guilty of stealing.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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