Apple Lossless Audio CODEC (ALAC), is obliged to pay 507 million dollars to the University of Wisconsin-Madison for the unauthorized use of technologies licensed by it. Apple was sued by the university because of this problem, and the jury that deliberated in the case decided that Apple must pay 234 million dollars, the judge was of the opinion that the real amount should be 507 million dollars .
Apple was sued because of a technology used in the A7, A8 and A8X chips in the iPhone 5S, iPhone 6 and iPad tablets, which reduces energy consumption during use. Apple requested that the validity of the patent protecting this technology be analyzed by the American authorities, but they rejected the request, basically validating the patent.
Apple had lost an initial lawsuit in 2015 and was forced to pay 862 million dollars, the amount was later reduced to 234 million dollars by a judge who considered that Apple had unknowingly infringed the patents. Now another judge increased the amount to 507 million dollars because Apple knew it was infringing the patents, but continued to do it, by selling the terminals that contain it.
Apple appealed again against this decision, but another lawsuit filed by the same university is still ongoing. It claims that the A9 chip in the iPhone 6S infringes the same patent, so Apple will not get rid of all these legal problems very easily and could have to pay a very large amount of money because of them, if it does not succeed to win in court.
"US District Judge William Conley in Madison added $272 million to a $234 million jury verdict the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation won against Apple in October 2015. Conley said WARF is owed additional damages plus interest because Apple continued to infringe the patent, which relates to computer processor technology, until it expired in December 2016."
