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Today’s topics include a verdict in the University of Wisconsin’s patent infringement case against Apple, AT&T’s offer of a single mobile number for all your devices, T-Mobile’s new 10Gigs4All family data plan, and law enforcement authorities take down the Dridex banking malware botnet.
A federal court jury found that Apple infringed on a chip technology patent held by the University of Wisconsin and could have to pay up to $862 million in damages.
According to a Reuters report, the patent infringement lawsuit involved chip technology owned by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF).
After a seven-day trial, the federal jury in Madison, Wis., ruled that Apple used the chip technology without WARF’s permission. WARF is a private, nonprofit patent and licensing organization for the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
AT&T is working to give its customers the ability to have one phone number that can be used across a wide range of mobile devices to simplify their communications access.
According to an Oct. 14 post by David Christopher, AT&T’s chief marketing officer, the new NumberSync service is expected to hit the market on a range of compatible devices in time for the December holidays.
According to Christopher, the NumberSync service will enable customers to send and receive texts, as well as make and receive calls from a tablet or wearable device using the same number that your family, friends and colleagues already recognize.
For a limited time, T-Mobile is bringing back its 10Gigs4All family mobile phone plans that offer 10GB of high-speed data per month per person. Under the deal, a family of four would pay $50 each for the first two mobile lines, plus $20 for the third line.
The fourth line would be provided for free, and also get 10GB of high-speed data. Under the special promotion, that adds up to $120 for four lines, with each line essentially costing $30 per month. The plan also includes unlimited talk and texts for each user.
Law enforcement authorities in the U.S. and U.K. carried out a coordinated effort to disrupt the operations of the Dridex botnet, a global distributor of banking malware. The Dridex botnet, also known as Bugat and Cridex, has pilfered millions of dollars from unsuspecting victims.
In the U.S., the FBI estimates that at least $10 million in direct financial losses can be attributed to Dridex. In the U.K., the National Crime Agency estimates Dridex losses exceed £20m, or approximately $31 million U.S.