Apple was ordered this week by a U.S. judge to pay $506 million to the University of Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) thanks to patented technology found in Apple’s A7, A8, and A8X processors.
The patent involves increasing the efficiency of chips by predicting what instructions the user will give them. WARF originally filed the lawsuit in January 2014 and was granted a jury victory in October 2015.
The original judgement was for $234 million, but the judge more than doubled the damages because Apple has continued to use the patented technology in its iPhones (A9 processors) during the course of the lawsuit. Apple sought to have the patent declared invalid, but the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office rejected Apple’s bid. Apple is appealing the ruling.
WARF sued Apple again in 2015 over the same patent, which it claims is being violated in newer versions of the iPhone. That second case is still winding its way through the courts.
The patent, originally granted to WARF in 1998, expired in December 2016. Apple maintained its innocence.
