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.

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.