Apple has won a patent dispute with Personalized Media Communications (PMC) today. The judge in charge of the case ruled in favor of Personalized Media Communications' March verdict of $308.5 million, Bloomberg reports.U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap stated that Apple was a victim to PMC's scheme to exploit the tech industry in order for high royalties on outdated ideas. In an effort to obtain more money, the judge ruled that PMC's patent on digital rights management was invalid because the company delayed applying with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.PMC submitted hundreds of patent applications between the 1980s and 1990s. However, no patents were granted until 2010. The loophole allowed for indefinite applications and then a patent that was valid for 17 years. This was taken advantage of by the company. This was resolved in 1995 but did not apply to Apple patents that were filed before 1995.PMC waited to receive its patents until the technology contained in the patent was already adopted. This allowed it to make more money from tech companies.PMC internal documentation indicated that the company thought Apple would be a good candidate to target with delayed patents. This was in addition to Intel, IBM and Microsoft.In March, a jury convicted PMC of infringing on DRM patents by Apple with its FairPlay technology, which is used to distribute encrypted content via iTunes, Apple Music, and the App Store.
