Attorneys for Carnegie Mellon University want a judge to rule that a California firm willfully violated the school's patents and triple a $1.17 billion verdict by a federal court jury in Pittsburgh.

The verdict against Marvell Technology Group of Santa Clara, Calif., came in December, after the Pittsburgh-based university argued Marvell infringed on patents that came from the work of professor Jose Moura and then-student Alek Kavcic.

Marvell plans to contest the verdict in post-trial motions and appeal to a higher court, if necessary.

The jury found Marvell reaped the benefits of the university's research by profiting on semiconductor chips that relied on the patented technology.

In addition to tripling the verdict, the school wants the judge to order Marvell to pay its attorney fees and roughly $322 million in interest.