Apple ordered to pay $532.9 Million in patent lawsuit

Uh oh-Spaghettios.

The day after celebrating what would have been the late Steve Jobs’ 60th Birthday,  a federal jury in Texas has found that Apple infringed on Texas based patent licensing firm Smartflash LLC’s patents relating to digital rights management, data storage and managing access through payment systems.

The infringement exists in relation to iTunes and the jury has hence ordered Apple to pay up – not the original $852 Smartflash was originally after, but $532.9 million big ones. Apple will be appealing the findings of course, saying that Smartflash is exploiting the patent system to seek royalties for tech Apple invented.

From the Sauce, Apple spokeswoman Kristin Huguet:
“Smartflash makes no products, has no employees, creates no jobs, has no U.S. presence, and is exploiting our patent system to seek royalties for technology Apple invented,” said Kristin Huguet, an Apple spokeswoman. “We refused to pay off this company for the ideas our employees spent years innovating and unfortunately we have been left with no choice but to take this fight up through the court system.”

In what seems like an expensive (or lucrative) year for Smartflash, they are also suing Samsung in a lawsuit that will begin after the Apple trial is complete, as well as against HTC Corp and Google.

This case is Smartflash LLC v. Apple Inc., 13-447, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Texas.