Apple is being accused of infringing a patent held by The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF). The lawsuit, filed in the Wisconsin Western District Court, alleges that Apple is infringing a patent that covers technology the company has used in the A7 64-bit mobile processor that powers many iOS devices, including the iPhone 5s, the iPad Air and the Retina iPad mini.
BGR:
The patent in question – U.S. Patent No. 5,781,782: “Table Based Data Speculation Circuit for Parallel Processing Computer – was awarded to WARF in mid-July 1998, and its inventors are “leading researchers in the field of computer microprocessor architecture,” the publication writes, adding that “their work at the University of Wisconsin—Madison, particularly the work for which they were awarded the patent-in-suit, has significantly improved the efficiency and performance of contemporary computer processors”
WARF believes that “Apple has incorporated the technology of WARF’s ‘752 patent into the A7 processor to achieve enhanced efficiency and performance.”
While Apple has filed one or more patent applications that cite WARF’s patent as “relevant prior art,” the company has stated that its policy is to not “accept or consider proposals regarding licensing from outside entities like WARF for any purpose.” Hence, the WARF lawsuit.
Patently Apple says, WARF believes that Apple’s “acts of infringement by Defendant have been, and continue to be, willful, intentional, and in conscious disregard to WARF’s rights in the ‘752 patent.” So, WARF is asking the court for treble damages if Apple is found guilty of patent infringement.
