Apple ordered to pay patent troll VirnetX $502.6M in ongoing infringement case

Apple’s never-ending battle with notorious patent troll VirnetX continues today. According to a new report from Bloomberg, an Eastern Texas court has ruled that Apple infringes on four VirnetX patents and must pay $502.6 million in damages…

The report says that the patents in question relate to Apple’s FaceTime, VPN, and iMessage services. VirnetX, of course, thinks the damages are fair and based on the sales of over 400 million infringing Apple devices:

Kendall Larsen, CEO of VirnetX, said the damages, which were based on sales of more than 400 million Apple devices, were “fair.”

“The evidence was clear,” Larsen said after the verdict was announced. “Tell the truth and you don’t have to worry about anything.”

Bloomberg notes, however, that this could be a short-lived victory for VirnetX. The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has ruled the patents as invalid, though the Federal Circuit stated that VirnetX’s case was too far along to be put on hold:

For VirnetX, the jury verdict in its favor could be a short-lived victory. The Patent Trial and Appeal Board has said the patents are invalid, in cases that are currently before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington.

The Federal Circuit, which handles all patent appeals, declined to put this trial on hold, saying it was so far along that a verdict would come before a final validity decision.

The battle between VirnetX and Apple has been ongoing for years. In 2012, Apple lost a $368.2 million lawsuit from VirnetX, though that verdict was later thrown out, paving the way for retrials and additional disputes.

Over two years ago, VirnetX announced that it was seeking $532 million in damages from Apple over patent infringements relating to iMessage, FaceTime, and VPN technologies. It wasn’t until last October that the court made a decision, awarding VirnetX with $439.7 million in damages. At the time, Apple said it would appeal.

Apple has yet to comment on today’s ruling, though it has had choice words for VirnetX in the past, saying that the company continually “moves the boundary, asking for more and more and more.”

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