Jury orders Apple to pay more than $625mn for violating patents

Aside from the appeal, The Rakyat Post reported that Apple has also filed court papers asking United States district judge Robert Schroeder to declare a mistrial.

VirnetX claimed that Apple had stolen its technology for two patents related to its messaging software – US Patents 7,418,504 and 7,921,211 when it released Apple’s Facetime and iMessage.

The compensation for royalties came to an additional $290.7 million. The award was even more than the $532 that VirnetX had asked for going into the trial.

VirnetX chalked up legal another victory Wednesday with a $625 million prize. During regular trading, shares jumped nearly 30 percent as investors bet that the daylong jury deliberations would mean a big win for the company.

An Apple spokesperson said the company was surprised and disappointed by the verdict and that will appeal.

Apple is not used to losing patent cases.

“Our employees have designed this technology independently and over several years, and we have obtained patents to protect this intellectual property”.

“The jury saw what we have been saying all along: Apple has been infringing VirnetX’s patented technology for years”, VirnetX lawyer Jason Cassady said in a statement. Cases such as this reinforce the desperate need for reform of the patent system, “she added”.

This was the second time that VirnetX’s allegations have gone to trial. In November 2012, a jury found Apple infringed four VirnetX patents with its iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad products, as well as with its Mac computers, awarding $368.2 million (roughly Rs. 2,499 crores) in damages. The infringement finding regarding VPN on Demand was upheld, while a new trial was ordered on damages and whether FaceTime infringed the patents. As part of its appellate ruling, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit called for a damages retrial, which resulted in today’s decision.