Apple to pay $502.6 million to VirnetX for infringing patents
Apple has been ordered by a federal jury to pay $502.6 million to Nevada-based VirnetX in a patents infringement case related to secure communications. In what comes as the latest twist in an eight-year-old legal battle, the jury observed that the Apple's services like iMessage, FaceTime, VPN on Demand infringe four patents. Apple has declined this. Here's more on this development.
What is the Apple v/s VirnetX case?
VirnetX, a company which makes profits by suing other companies, has claimed that Apple's services infringe four of the patents related to secure communications. Apple and VirnetX have been fighting a legal dispute since 2010 and the case has seen multiple trials and lawsuits. In October 2017, Apple had appealed against an order to pay $439.7 million to VirnetX.
VirnetX believes it has clear evidence, says damages were 'fair'
In a statement following the court verdict, VirnetX CEO Kendall Larsen called the amount "fair." The damages were based on sales of more than 400 million Apple devices. "The evidence was clear. Tell the truth and you don't have to worry about anything," Larsen added.
For VirnetX, this verdict could be a short-lived victory
Back in 2016, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board had said four of the patents VirnetX claims infringed, were considered invalid in all the cases that were currently before the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. However, Federal Circuit had refused to put the lawsuit on hold, saying it was too far along to hold the trial. What happens now remains to be seen.
