Apple Loses Appeal in VirnetX Dispute, Could Owe Over $1.1 Billion

Apple has not been successful in reducing the amount of money that it owes VirnetX in patent infringement fees, with the Cupertino company today losing an appeal that would have vacated or reduced a $502.8 million award.

virnetx apple
According to Reuters, a federal judge today denied Apple's request for a new trial and claims that the award should not exceed $113.7 million.

Apple must pay the original $502.8 million that was awarded to VirnetX in October 2020, and combined with a prior $454 million award, the payments, future royalties, and interest could result in Apple paying VirnetX more than $1.1 billion.

Jurors in both of the lawsuits that VirnetX levied against Apple ruled in favor of VirnetX and said that Apple's FaceTime, iMessage, and VPN on Demand features had infringed on VirnetX patents related to communications security.

Going forward, Apple will need to pay 84 cents per iPhone or iPad for future infringements, which is more than Apple wanted to pay. Apple claimed future royalties should be zero or no more than 19 cents per unit.

The legal battle between the two companies has spanned more than 10 years, having first kicked off in 2010.

Top Rated Comments

farewelwilliams Avatar
43 months ago
this patent troll is the reason why you don't get open FaceTime.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
polaris20 Avatar
43 months ago
What product was it that VirnetX released this year? Last year? Oh that's right......nothing, just a crappy app to say “here, we made something, see?”

EDITED for clarity
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jav6454 Avatar
43 months ago
Patent laws need to be heavily amended. No one should be pray to patent trolls.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Surfer13134 Avatar
43 months ago
In the end it's only going to hurt us the consumer. Apple is going to have to recoup that money somehow.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
temna Avatar
43 months ago

Maybe they should just go ahead and buy the company.
Never reward bad behavior. Apple needs to fight more against paying one red cent to ANY patent troll. If you are not actually using a patent for a product, you shouldn’t be paid for the patent.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
shenfrey Avatar
43 months ago
They will find that down the Apple Couch.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 18 Apple Music Messages and Notes Feature 1

iOS 18 Rumored to Add New Features to These 16 Apps on Your iPhone

Tuesday April 30, 2024 10:44 am PDT by
Apple is expected to announce iOS 18 during its WWDC keynote on June 10, and new features have already been rumored for many apps, including Apple Music, Apple Maps, Calculator, Messages, Notes, Safari, and others. Below, we recap iOS 18 rumors on a per-app basis, based on reports from MacRumors, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, and others: Apple Maps: At least two new Apple Maps features are...
5

Apple Event This Week Expected to Last 'About 35 Minutes'

Sunday May 5, 2024 3:13 pm PDT by
Apple will be holding its first event of the year this Tuesday, May 7 at 7 a.m. Pacific Time, with a live stream to be available on Apple.com and on YouTube. How long will the event be? In his newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the video will have a runtime of "around 35 minutes." Apple is expected to announce new iPad Pro and iPad Air models, along with updated Apple Pencil...
top stories 4may2024

Top Stories: Apple Event Preview, iPad Pro With M4 Chip Rumor, New Beats Headphones, and More

Saturday May 4, 2024 6:00 am PDT by
It's been a long time since the last one, but an Apple event is finally right around the corner! While it's anticipated to be a fairly short pre-recorded affair, we're expecting to see the first updates to the iPad lineup in over a year and half, so make sure to tune in to see what Apple has in store. Other news and rumors this week included a couple of product introductions from Apple's...
iOS 17 All New Features Thumb

Apple Says iOS 17.5 Coming 'Soon' With These New Features for iPhones

Monday May 6, 2024 7:33 am PDT by
Apple today announced that iOS 17.5 will be released to the public "soon," following over a month of beta testing. While the software update is relatively minor, it does have a few new features and changes, as outlined in the list below. "The new Pride Radiance watch face and iPhone and iPad wallpapers will be available soon with watchOS 10.5, iOS 17.5, and iPadOS 17.5," said Apple, in its...
2024 Apple Watch Pride Face Feature

Apple Unveils 2024 Pride Edition Braided Solo Loop Band and Watch Face

Monday May 6, 2024 6:11 am PDT by
Apple today announced a new Pride Edition Braided Solo Loop Apple Watch band, watch face, and wallpaper. The band features a fluorescent design inspired by multiple pride flags with a laser-etched lug that reads "PRIDE 2024." Black, Hispanic, and Latin communities, as well as those impacted by HIV/AIDS, are represented on the band by the black and brown colors, while transgender and...