Violates Patent Rights, Federal Jury Fines Apple $ 308.5 Million

JAKARTA - The United States (US) Federal jury in Texas said the multinational company in the field of technology, Apple Inc., had to pay around $ 308.5 million or around IDR 4.43 trillion to Personalized Media Communications LLC (PMC) for violating related patents with digital rights management.

Judges on Friday night ordered Apple to pay royalties to the PMC, which is generally based on the number of sales of a product or service.

Apple admits that it is disappointed with the verdict and plans to appeal.

"Cases like this, brought by companies that do not make or sell any products, stifle innovation and ultimately harm consumers", Apple said in an emailed statement.

PMC, a licensing company, initially sued Apple in 2015 alleging the tech giant's iTunes service infringed seven of its patents.

Apple successfully sued the PMC case at the United States patent office. But an appeals court in March last year overturned that decision, paving the way for a trial.

Apart from Apple, the Sugarland, Texas-based PMC also has pending infringement cases related to several companies, including Netflix Inc, Alphabet Inc Google, and Amazon.com Inc.