A jury in Texas has ruled that Apple has to pay VirnetX $502.8 million in royalties for VPN on Demand; a feature that lets iOS users access a VPN connection, Bloomberg reported. The two companies have been involved in a legal battle for ten years; with VirnetX— sometimes referred to as a patent troll; arguing that Apple’s VPN on Demand as well as FaceTime use its technology.
Apple said in a statement it plans to appeal the decision: “This case has been going on for over a decade; with patents that are unrelated to the core operations of our products; and have been found to be invalid by the patent office. Cases like this only serve to stifle innovation and also harm consumers.”
Earlier this year, a US appeals court rejected Apple’s request to reconsider a split decision; ruling that found it infringed on VirnetX patents. The ongoing court fight has gone back and forth; with a federal court in Texas ordering Apple in 2018 to pay VirnetX $502.6 million for violating four patents relating to internet-based communications; which refers to the underlying technology behind Apple’s FaceTime as well as iMessage.
But in November 2019, a three-judge panel voided that $502.6 million amount. However, the judges did not void a jury’s finding that some older iPhone models infringed two VirnetX patents. It was that finding that Apple sought to have the appeals court reconsider.
