Apple had disputed the validity of the VirnetX patent.
San Francisco, United States:
On Friday, a jury in Texas ruled that Apple should pay $ 503 million for violating virtual private network technology patented by software security company VirnetX.
The legal battle between Apple and Nevada-based VirnetX involved the security of data transmission in devices such as the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, according to court documents.
“We thank the jury for their time and appreciate their consideration, but we are disappointed with the verdict and plan to appeal,” Apple said in response to an AFP investigation.
“This case has been going on for over a decade, with patents that are unrelated to the basic operations of our products and that have been ruled invalid by the patent office.”
VirnetX argued in the lawsuit that Apple’s VPN On Demand features use its patented technology.
VirnetX is based in Nevada, but patent lawsuits are typically filed in states where jurors have been found to be more inclined to speak out against the giants of Silicon Valley.
Apple had disputed the validity of the VirnetX patent.
VirnetX, which has been unable to gain traction with its own software, relies on patent royalties for its revenue, according to a Dallas Morning News report on the jury verdict.
“Cases like this only serve to stifle innovation and hurt consumers,” Apple said.
VirnetX did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
