The United States Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to hear the VirnetX vs. Apple patent case, finally bringing a 14-year-long legal battle to an end. The court’s refusal saves Apple a sweet $502.8 million that it won’t have to pay out to VirnetX.
As reported by CNBC, with the Supreme Court not weighing in, a March 2023 ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit will stand. The appeals court affirmed a decision from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office that invalidated the two patents VirnetX had accused Apple of infringing.
A jury in 2020 ruled that Apple owed VirnetX $502.8 million for patent infringement in an ongoing legal battle. The dispute, which started in 2010, began when VirnetX accused Apple of infringing its patents in the Cupertino firm’s FaceTime feature on iOS and macOS.
Apple appealed the $502.8 million award verdict after it was rendered, with both Apple and VirnetX presenting arguments in the appeal back in September 2022.
VirnetX is considered a patent holding company or “patent troll.” Patent trolls do not offer actual products or services, generating revenue by suing technology companies that infringe on or license its patents.
While Apple was spared from having to pay the $503 million from this trial, the Cupertino firm did have to pay out $440 million in 2019 for violating VirnetX’s communications security patents with FaceTime and iMessage.
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