University of Wisconsin sues Apple for violating a patent through A7 processor

The University of Wisconsin’s patent licensing arm — the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation — is suing Apple for violating a university patent through the A7 processor found in the iPhone 5s, iPad Air, and iPad mini. The patent is titled Table Based Data Speculation Circuit for Parallel Processing Computer, and credited to several computer scientists who were at UW Madison. It describes a way of improving “the efficiency and performance of contemporary computer processors.”

The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, the patent licensing arm of the University of Wisconsin, alleges in a newly-filed lawsuit that Apple’s A7 processor infringes a university-developed patent that improves “the efficiency and performance of contemporary computer processors.” At issue is United States Patent No. 5,781,752 entitled “Table Based Data Speculation Circuit for Parallel Processing Computer.” Computer scientists Andreas Moshovos, Scott Breach, Terani Vijaykumar, and Gurindar Sohi invented the technology while at the University of Wisconsin – Madison.