Apple loses patent lawsuit, could face $862 million in damages

Apple may face up to $862 million in damages after a U.S. jury found the company guilty of infringing on a patent owned by the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Reuters reports. Apple argued that the 1998 patent — which improves processor efficiency — was invalid, but the jury upheld the patent and found that Apple’s A7, A8 and A8X processors infringed upon technology developed by the university. U.S. District Judge William Conley, who is presiding over the case, said the company may be liable for up to $862.4 million in damages since the underlying technology in question is found in the iPhone 5s, 6, 6 Plus and several versions of the iPad. As the first lawsuit plays itself out in court, the university has filed a second lawsuit claiming the A9 and A9X chips found in the iPhone 6s, 6s Plus and iPad Pro violate the same patent.