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# Apple must pay $308.5M fine for iTunes, Apple Music digital rights management patent infringement
- URL: https://www.hypebot.com/apple-must-pay-308-5m-fine-for-itunes-apple-music-digital-rights-management-patent-infringement/
- Published: 2021-03-22T12:11:01.000Z
- Updated: 2021-03-22T12:17:53.000Z
- Description: A federal jury ordered Apple to pay $308.5 million to Personalized Media Communications after finding it had infringed on a patent that helps power digital rights management for Apple Music,. Continue reading [https://www.hypebot.com/hypebot/2021/03/apple-must-pay-308-5m-fine-for-itunes-apple-music-
- Author: Bruce Houghton
- Tags: Music Tech, Streaming, Apple, Apple Music, DRM, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-01-21 09:51

A federal jury ordered Apple to pay $308.5 million to Personalized Media Communications after finding it had infringed on a patent that helps power digital rights management for Apple Music, iTunes, and its App Store.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/3a/95/3a957c06-c825-4057-9939-0a274cc16d23/content/images/spcdn-shortpixel-ai/spio/ret_img-q_cdnize/www-hypebot-com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/apple-music-cards.jpg)

PMC sued Apple in Texas federal court over its FairPlay DRM technology in 2015 claiming that Cupertino had infringed seven of its patents, according to [Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-19/apple-told-to-pay-308-5-million-for-infringing-drm-patent?sref=ExbtjcSG&ref=hypebot.com).

Apple is expected to appeal.

Similar cases brought by Personalized Media Communications against Netflix and Amazon are pending.