On April 14th, 2020, Apple Inc. successfully appealed a $502.8 million patent infringement judgment against VirnetX Holding Corporation. The judgment was originally handed down in February of 2016 and was the result of a long-running legal battle between the two companies.
The dispute began in 2010 when VirnetX accused Apple of infringing on four of its patents related to secure communications technology. VirnetX alleged that Apple had used the patented technology in its FaceTime and VPN on Demand features without permission. Apple denied the allegations but was ultimately found liable for infringement by a jury in 2016.
The $502.8 million judgment was the largest patent infringement award in history at the time. However, Apple appealed the ruling and argued that the jury had made errors in calculating the damages. On April 14th, 2020, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit agreed with Apple and overturned the judgment.
The court found that the jury had improperly calculated the damages and that VirnetX had not proven that it was entitled to the full amount of damages it had requested. The court also noted that VirnetX had failed to prove that Apple had acted willfully or maliciously in infringing on its patents.
The ruling is a major victory for Apple and could have far-reaching implications for other patent infringement cases. The decision highlights the importance of properly calculating damages in patent infringement cases and could lead to more companies challenging large judgments in the future.
Overall, Apple’s successful appeal of the $502.8 million patent infringement judgment against VirnetX is an important victory for the company and could set a precedent for future patent infringement cases. The ruling underscores the need for companies to properly calculate damages in patent infringement cases and could lead to more companies challenging large judgments in the future.
