It looks like Apple"s patent wars are continuing, but this time instead of being the hunter, the company is the hunted.
At the heart of the issue is a patent that was released back in the late 90s. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting that technology in the A7 processor violates a patent that was issued back in 1998; the patent deals with how the CPU pre-fetches instructions for faster execution. The new A7 processor is found in Apple"s flagship iPhone 5S, the iPad Air, and the iPad mini with Retina display.
The legal brief, weighing in at only seven pages, claims that Apple willfully copied the idea and the University is seeking triple damages as compensation, although an exact dollar amount is not specified. While it"s likely that Apple will simply settle with the University, they may also play a war of attrition since the company has more resources available than the school.
The school reached an unspecified settlement with in 2008 with Intel when the company"s Core 2 Duo processors were found to be infringing the patent.
Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | Image courtesy of Apple