US jury asks Apple to pay $145 million in damages to Canada's WiLan

A federal jury in California has awarded Canadian patent licensing company WiLan Inc $145.1 million in damages against Apple Inc for patent infringement, according to a court filing on Wednesday.

The jury in San Diego determined that versions of Apple's iPhone infringed two WiLan patents relating to wireless communications technology, WiLan, a unit of Quarterhill Inc, said in a statement.

Apple confirmed it plans to appeal. The company earlier rejected claims of infringement in pre-trial filings.

In 2013, a US jury ruled in favour of Apple in a separate litigation in which WiLan had sought $248 million in damages.

Founded in 1992 as a producer of broadband wireless technologies, Ottawa-based WiLan has shifted focus to licensing an extensive patent portfolio.