A jury on Tuesday determined Apple used technology owned and patented by the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s licensing arm without permission in chips found in many of its most popular devices. Apple could be forced to pay up to $862 million in damages as a result of the ruling.
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) sued Apple in January 2014, saying the tech giant infringed on its 1998 patent for improving chip efficiency.
The jury was specifically looking at whether Apple’s A7, A8, and A8X processors, found in the iPhone 5s, 6, and 6 Plus, as well as several versions of the iPad, violated WARF’s patent.
WARF previously used its patent to sue Intel Corp, but that case was settled in 2009 before going to trial.
WARF is also engaged in a second lawsuit against Apple, aimed at the company’s newest chips, the A9 and A9X, used in the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus, as well as the iPad Pro.
