Apple can’t catch a break in the courts right now. In the latest legal blow for Cupertino, a U.S. court has ruled its FaceTime videocalling technology infringes four patents owned by technology company VirnetX. A U.S. Court for the Eastern District of Texas has ordered Apple to pay more than $368 million in damages to VirnetX.
The patents in question are U.S. Patent Nos. 6,502,135, 7,418,504, 7,921,211 and 7,490,151 — which include a way of establishing a secure comms link.
Apple has the option to appeal the decision. We’ve reached out to Apple and VirnetX for further comment and will update with any response.
Commenting on the win, Kendall Larsen, VirnetX CEO and President, said in a statement: “We are extremely pleased with the outcome of our suit with Apple. This victory further establishes the importance of our patent portfolio.”
The BBC reports that the damages award is around half the amount VirnetX had originally sought. It also notes that VirnetX has previously secured a $200m settlement from Microsoft over similar claims.
The company, which has a patent portfolio of 20 U.S. and 26 international patents, has also brought cases against Cisco, Avaya and Siemens for allegedly infringing the same patents.
Apple’s recent legal woes include a U.S. judge dismissing a patent licensing case against Motorola Mobility, a U.K. court sticking by a ruling that Samsung’s Galaxy Tab tablets do not infringe the design of the iPad, and a Dutch court ruling that Samsung does not infringe an Apple multitouch patent. Apple also recently got into hot water over the wording of a legal statement it was required to carry on its U.K. website.
