Apple ordered to pay $308.5 million after losing Digital Rights Management Patent case in Texas

Apple has been ordered to pay $308.5 million to Personalized Media Communications after a federal jury in Texas found the company had infringed on a technology patent related to digital rights management, Bloomberg reported. PMC had sued Apple over its FairPlay technology, used to distribute encrypted content from iTunes, Apple Music, and its App Store.

PMC, which is a patent licensing firm, originally sued Apple in 2015, claiming the tech giant had infringed seven of its patents. Apple successfully challenged the case to the Patent Trial and Appeal Board, but an appeals court reversed the patent board’s decision last March, and the case went to trial.

Representatives for the tech giant told Bloomberg they would appeal the ruling. “Cases like this, brought by companies that don’t make or sell any products, stifle innovation and ultimately harm consumers,” Apple’s statement reads.

Reuters notes that Sugarland, Texas-based PMC also has infringement cases pending against Netflix, Google, and Amazon.

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