Patent wars are everywhere, they are not news but rather a trending fashion everybody loves to follow.
As a naive end consumer, all of this patent disruption originated from this so called "Evil Empire", namely Apple Inc. It's just like how it started with the first world war. It's all about the money and the benefits that one can gain from a war. I wonder whether no one can be made better off by making others worse off, and how would Apple react to a war it started? So I'd like to investigate a case which Apple's newest A7 processor possibly infringed a patent that the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) filed.
I use an iPhone, because it has sexy battery life with responsive user interface. Mobile CPU chip plays an essential role in developing a device. Apple is making lots of effort on taking their technology to the next level, which I as a consumer greatly appreciate.
This patent lawsuit just started few days ago, thus there isn't much information available on the Internet at the time of writing. But this is going to be a very interesting case to follow. Because data shows that Apple acknowledged the prior art existed from the WARF's patent, but the company policies restrict licensing from outside entities. Therefore, WARF has the reason to take action in such case. WARF asked for triple the price of the damage Apple caused to the organization as well as licensing fees.
Very likely though, I believe that Apple will happily to resolve this lawsuit by making a settlement with WARF. WARF is not a corporation, so Apple has no incentive to waste resources on a party that's not even a competitor.
It's really interesting to view a different kind of patent infringement case. We all heard Samsung, Apple, HTC, etc. fighting against one and another. Academic organizations also drive innovation, they definitely won't be left out in this game.
Well played, WARF.
Source
- Apple's A7 Processor Targeted in new Patent Lawsuit
- Apple sued over A7 processor design by University of Wisconsin patent enforcer
I really liked this post. It is interesting to see how academic organizations can play into the patent litigation discussions. Sometimes people forget that such institutions often have large amounts of resources as well and could cause a commotion in the space.
ReplyDeleteHi Rae!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with some of the points you made in this post. I think academic institutions are definitely at the forefront of bringing about innovation and it is good that you brought up this case between WARF and Apple. I look forward to seeing how Apple will resolve this issue and I agree with you that it will most likely opt for a settlement since WARF is not a competitor in the industry.
Cheers,
Jane