Apple to pay over $500 million for patent infringement

The lawsuit over technology used in Apple's FaceTime has been going-on for over a decade.
Text: Kim Olsen
Published 2020-11-02

While Apple is well-known for settling out of court, this time a jury verdict has resulted in the payment of $502.8 million to VirnetX according to Bloomberg and a number of other industry media.

While the Texan jury only argued for an hour and a half before reaching an agreement, the case against Apple is based on VirnetX, a company often accused of patent trolling, claiming that their patented VPN on Demand technology has been used for Apple's FaceTime.

The lawsuit has been going on for a decade, with the question of guilt being determined in 2018, but the amount owed is still being disputed, as VirnetX claimed it was entitled to more than $700 million in compensation, while Apple had their eyes on $113 million. The Jury reached 84 cents per unit, resulting in the amount being $502.8 million.

It has to be added that VirnetX previously got $454 million from Apple from a similar case, with Apple trying to invalidate as many VirnetX patens as possible, and being largely successful. To add further damage, VirnetX is currently fighting a case at the Delaware Chancery Court where a complaint has been made in regards to the management and daily running of the company, including accusations for nepotism.

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