Appeals court refuses to overturn VirnetX's $440 million damages award against Apple
While Apple was able to get a German court to toss a second patent infringement suit filed against it in the country by Qualcomm, the company wasn't so lucky with an appeals court in the states. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit today, refused to overturn a jury verdict from 2016. The jury had originally found Apple liable of infringing on patents owned by IP holding company VirnetX, and awarded the latter $302 million.
After increasing the royalty rate Apple owed by 50%, throwing in attorney's fees and interest, a final judgment was entered against Apple in the amount of $439,727,418 in October 2017. Apple said in a statement that it was disappointed in the ruling, and plans on appealing. The decision was announced today by VirnetX (via Reuters).
The battle between VirnetX and Apple dates back to 2010, and deals with patents for iOS features like FaceTime and iMessage that Apple allegedly used without a license. Meanwhile, an administrative court has ruled that VirnetX's patent claims are invalid, but the holding company is appealing that decision.
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