Apple Ordered to Pay VirnetX Another $502.8 Million for Patent Infringement - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple Ordered to Pay VirnetX Another $502.8 Million for Patent Infringement

A jury today ruled that Apple owes VirnetX $502.8 million for patent infringement in an ongoing legal battle that has spanned 10 years. The dispute started in 2010, when VirnetX accused Apple's FaceTime feature of infringing on VirnetX patents.

virnetx apple
According to Bloomberg, the jury in the case was asked to determine how much Apple owes VirnetX in royalties for VPN on Demand, an iPhone feature that lets people access virtual private networks.

VirnetX wanted Apple to pay $700 million, while Apple argued that it should pay $113 million, based on a royalty rate of 19 cents per unit. The jury instead decided on the 84 cent per unit total.

There are two separate lawsuits in the VirnetX vs. Apple legal battle, pertaining to older and newer Apple devices. Earlier this year, Apple was ordered to pay VirnetX $454 million, so this second award will be in addition to that first payment. When it comes to this case, VirnetX was originally awarded $502 million, but the ruling was partially overturned in 2019 and sent back to the lower courts to determine new damages.

Popular Stories

iPhone 18 Pro Deep Red Feature

iPhone 18 Pro Launching in Two Months With These 12 New Features

Friday July 17, 2026 10:39 am PDT by
It is now mid-July, and that means the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max are now just two months away. The devices are expected to look similar to the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, but there will still be many year-over-year changes, with rumored features including a smaller Dynamic Island, 5G via satellite, and more. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, ...
iCloud General Feature Redux

Apple Raises iCloud+ Prices in 8 Countries

Friday July 17, 2026 11:56 am PDT by
Apple has increased the price of iCloud+ in Nigeria, Türkiye, Vietnam, Japan, Egypt, New Zealand, the Philippines, and Indonesia, according to an updated version of its iCloud support document. Price increases range from 11 percent to 55 percent depending on the plan and the country. Nigeria saw the biggest hike, and a 50GB plan is now ₦1,300, up from ₦900. Türkiye saw the next largest...
Apple AppleCare One Feature

'AppleCare One' is Now Even More Valuable

Saturday July 18, 2026 6:25 am PDT by
While the monthly and annual prices of AppleCare+ plans for Macs and iPads received a slight increase this week, AppleCare One continues to start at $19.99 per month in the U.S., making the multi-device plan even more valuable. Launched in July 2025, AppleCare One allows you to cover up to three devices as part of a single subscription for $19.99 per month, and additional devices can be...

Top Rated Comments

75 months ago
Why was the jury asked to determine a royalty amount? Was the jury made up of people that specialize in licensing, or did they just pull this number out of a hat?
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nogi Memes Avatar
75 months ago
The penalty is greater than the market cap of VirtnetX as of the closing bell on Friday (393.66M). Apple should have just bought VirtnetX.
Score: 37 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bLackjackj Avatar
75 months ago

Why is patent trolling still not a crime??

Jury? More like a bunch of moronic monkeys.

RIGGA MORRIS
Where is the trolling & who are you calling a moronic monkey, Lol...Apple had offered to pay 112m for using patented technology!

You cannot just take patented technology owned by whomever & use it for your own self gain whithout paying...🙄
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
75 months ago

Why was the jury asked to determine a royalty amount? Was the jury made up of people that specialize in licensing, or did they just pull this number out of a hat?
Pulled out of somewhere but it wasn’t a hat!
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sniffies Avatar
75 months ago
Why is patent trolling still not a crime??

RIGGA MORRIS
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jz0309 Avatar
75 months ago
Apple "offered" 113M$, so clearly, they know that they violated a patent ... hence, no-one really should complain that Apple has to pay, yes, maybe about the amount, but not the fact that they violated a patent.
I know this is not what people here want to hear ...
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)