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
38 months ago
this patent troll is the reason why you don't get open FaceTime.
Score: 26 Votes (Like | Disagree)
polaris20 Avatar
38 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
38 months ago
Patent laws need to be heavily amended. No one should be pray to patent trolls.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Surfer13134 Avatar
38 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
38 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
38 months ago
They will find that down the Apple Couch.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
anker new xmas 1

Anker's Cyber Week Sale Enters Final Days With Up to 60% Off Sitewide

Friday December 1, 2023 12:05 pm PST by
Anker's Black Friday/Cyber Week event is entering its final days this weekend, and it's still offering up to 60 percent off sitewide. There are also a few "mystery boxes" that can include hundreds of dollars in savings, if you're willing to risk not knowing what you're buying ahead of time. All of these sales will end on December 3. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Anker. When you...
top stories 2dec2023

Top Stories: iOS 17.1.2 Released, NameDrop Misinformation, and More

Saturday December 2, 2023 6:00 am PST by
Apple employees are back to work following a Thanksgiving break, and that means this week saw a number of new operating system updates for both public release and beta testing. This week also saw some misinformation about Apple's new NameDrop feature making the rounds, while Apple and Goldman Sachs appear to be on the verge of a break-up in their Apple Card and savings account partnership,...
General Apps Messages

Green Bubbles on iPhone to Gain These 7 New Features Next Year

Thursday November 30, 2023 9:00 am PST by
Earlier this month, Apple announced that it will finally support RCS in the Messages app on the iPhone starting later next year. This change will result in several improvements to the messaging experience between iPhones and Android devices. RCS will become the new default standard for messaging between iPhones and Android devices, but these conversations will still have green bubbles like...
m2 macbook air green

Get Apple's M2 MacBook Air and M3 MacBook Pro for Record Low Prices

Friday December 1, 2023 6:59 am PST by
Best Buy is discounting a collection of MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models to all-time low prices today. We're tracking these deals below in addition to great discounts on the Apple Pencil 2 and Apple Watch Ultra 1. MacBook Air Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the...
iPhone 16 Mock Header Updated 1

iPhone 16 to Include Action Button Across Entire Lineup

Thursday November 30, 2023 4:08 pm PST by
The release of the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max saw the introduction of an entirely new user-configurable button known as the Action button, and now, MacRumors has seen extensive evidence confirming Apple is planning to include the Action button on the entire iPhone 16 range. Designs and plans for the Action button date back to at least 2021, as the button was intended for release alongside hapt...