According to a federal jury’s decision, Apple and Broadcom must now pay the California Institute of Technology, also known as Caltech, $837 million and $270 million, respectively, for infringing on a patent related to wireless data transmission that is used in computer chips.
Caltech filed a lawsuit in federal court against both companies for infringing on the university’s Wi-Fi patents back in 2016. This is one of the largest fines for intellectual property violation in history.
The mentioned patent was used in chips manufactured by Broadcom and then used by Apple in the company’s products that include iPhones, Macs, iPods, etc. Last week alone, Apple and Broadcom signed a $15 billion-worth deal.
Regarding the court’s decision, Caltech said in a statement: "As a nonprofit institution of higher education, Caltech is committed to protecting its intellectual property in furtherance of its mission to expand human knowledge and benefit society through research integrated with education."
Both Apple and Broadcom are planning to appeal to the judge’s verdict, while Apple argues that the claims are based on the infringing Broadcom chips.
